NYC Events 6/23-7/2 - Jewish Telegraphic Agency (2024)

AMERIKE
On July 4th, The Folksbiene will remind the US of A what it’s supposed to be all about with a retooled and reimagined production of “Amerike — The Golden Land.” Created by Zalmen Mlotek and Moishe Rosenfeld in 1984, the musical weaves stories and observations the two collected from New York’s Yiddish-speaking immigrants, in a show The Times hailed for its “sparkle and oomph of seltzer right from the nozzle.” The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene is now reimagining the production, documentary-style, heightened by the use of projection designs and a live seven-piece klezmer band on stage. Directed by Drama Desk Award-nominee Bryna Wasserman, with movement and staging by Chita Rivera Award nominee Merete Muenter, and music direction and arrangements by NYTF artistic director Zalmen Mlotek.Performed in Yiddish with Russian and English supertitles. — July 4-Aug. 6, Museum of Jewish Heritage, 36 Battery Place, (646) 437-4202, mjhnyc.org.

A MUSICAL JOURNEY THROUGH JERUSALEM
Yeshiva University Museum’s exhibition “City of Gold, Bronze and Light: Jerusalem between Word and Image” features a broad range of visual representations, from paintings to memorabilia, exploring the tension between the imaginary and symbolic Jerusalem and the physical, brick-and-mortar one. Introducing a new emotional dimension, Israeli-American cellist Elad Kabilio (host of the classical music program MusicTalks), along with clarinetist Avigail Malachi-Baev and vocalist Inbar, perform a musical selection inspired by the city and its communities; the piece, as diverse as Jerusalem itself, ranges from Ladino and klezmer to opera and Israeli song. — Wednesday, June 28, 6:30 p.m., Center for Jewish History, 15 W. 16th St., (212) 294-8301, cjh.org..

ASSAF KEHATI

Israeli jazz guitarist Assaf Kehati, “A progressive jazz guitarist … with a light touch,” (allaboutjazz.com) arrived here in 2007 and made a name for himself by performing alongside such notables as George Garzone and his country-mates Eli Degibri and Anat Cohen. He is also well respected as a leader: His third and latest album, “Naked” (2014), has been hailed as “easily one of the best for 2014” (Bop-N-Jazz). As part of the “Italian Jazz Lunch” series, Kehati will be in residency at the Midtown restaurant/club Il Gattopardo throughout July, hosting a different bassist each week for an Italian-flavored jazz/bossa nova/lunch combo. — Every Saturday in July, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m., Il Gattopardo, 13-15 W. 54th St., (212) 246-0412, ilgattopardonyc.com

Theater

OSLO

One of 2016’s best-reviewed works, J. T. Rogers’ “Oslo,” which just won the Tony for best play, tells a complex tale of political intrigue and back-door negotiations focusing on the months of talks between Israel and Palestine that led to the historic 1993 Oslo Peace Accords. Directed by Tony-winning Barlett Sher (“Fiddler on the Roof”). The darkly funny play has been extended through Aug. 28. — Lincoln Center Theatre, 150 W. 65th St., (212) 375-3708, lct.org.

ANNA ON FIRE AND UNCENSORED

Anna Fishbeyn presents a hard-to-categorize stage concoction of song, dance, comedy, spoken word and throbbing sexuality.
A first-generation Russian Jewish immigrant, she exposes both her traditional upbringing and her headlong embrace of New York pop culture and sexual liberation to show just how combustible a mix that can be. Co-directed by Kirsten Heckler (whose work explores gender and sexuality issues) and improv specialist Brennan Lowery, the show launches Fishbeyn’s debut novel “The Matrimonial Flirtations of Emma Kaufield,” which also mines the “Russian-Jewish-American girl gone wild” seam. — Saturday, July 1, 7 p.m., The Metropolitan Room, 34 W. 22nd St., (212) 206-0440, metropolitanroom.com. $24-$129.

TEREZIN

Based in part on “The Terezin Diary of Gonda Redlich,” the play tells the story of two Jewish girls — Alexi, a brilliant violin player, and her friend Violet — locked in a desperate struggle for survival after arriving at Terezin. Violet mysteriously disappears and Alexi’s only hope of finding her involves teaching the Jewish ghetto’s Nazi commander to play the violin. Written by Nicholas Tolkien, great-grandson of novelist J.R.R. Tolkien. —Peter Jay Sharp Theatre, 416 W. 42nd St., 4th fl., (212) 279-4200, ticketcentral.com.

INDECENT (LAST CHANCE)

Cited as one of the best plays of 2016 by The Times, “Indecent” follows the original cast of Sholem Asch’s “God of Vengeance,” who risked their careers to perform a risqué work at a time when art, freedom and truth were on trial. The work is playwright Paula Vogel’s Broadway debut. Rebecca Taichman, who just won a Tony, directs. — Closes Sunday, June 25. Cort Theatre, 138 W. 48th St., ticketcentral.com.

HELLO, DOLLY!

The Broadway hit that became an even more famous Barbra Streisand movie is now returning to its Broadway roots. The widowed, brassy matchmaker Dolly Levi travels to Yonkers to find a match for the miserly “well-known unmarried half-a-millionaire” Horace Vandergelder. Played on film by the legendary Babs, this Broadway revival features the no-less-legendary Bette Midler as Dolly. Directed by four-time Tony Award-winner Jerry Zaks. – Shubert Theatre, 225 W. 44th St., (212) 239-6200, hellodollyonbroadway.com. $59-$189.

Music

GILAD HEKSELMAN ZUPEROCTAVE

The Israeli-born jazz guitarist has drawn praise for his smooth sound and formidable technique. After establishing his sound in the classic jazz trio and quartet, ZuperOctave , he explores a bass-less, semi-electronic version of his compositions. With Aaron Parks on keyboards and Kush Abaday on drums. — Friday, June 23, 9 and 10:30 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St., (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com. $10 cover plus $10 minimum.

SVETLANA & THE DELANCEY FIVE

Offering hard-swinging 1920s-’40s jazz standards as well as explosive originals mixing jazz, blues, bop and klezmer, Svetlana & The Delancey Five play a “signature brand of bold, brassy, big band music” (Time Out NY). The Wall Street Journal described them as an “outstanding band … [with an] exceptional vocalist and songwriter.”— Sunday, June 25, 10 a.m. doors, 11 a.m. concert, City Winery, 155 Varick St., (212) 608-0555, citywinery.com. $10.

ISRAELI JAZZ SPOTLIGHT
Hosted by Israeli-American jazz composer and bassist Or Bareket, Cornelia’s monthly “Israeli Jazz Spotlight” features Israeli-born jazz guitarist/composer Rotem Sivan and his trio (8 p.m.), and the duo of newcomer composer, songwriter and bassist Tal Ronen and pianist Eden Ladin — a veteran sideman with the likes of Avishai Cohen, Ari Hoenig, Omer Avital and more; the two play the first comprehensive concert of Ronen’s music, ranging from bebop to folk (10 p.m.). — Sunday, June 25, Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St., (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com. $20, drinks included.

ON THE ROOF WITH LEV-YULZARI

Kicking off its summer rooftop music series, JCC Manhattan features the acclaimed Lev-Yulzari Duo and some heavyweight guests. Israeli-born, N.Y.-based guitarist Nadav Lev is an Andrés Segovia Award winner. Together with French-born double bassist-composer Rémy Yulzari, whose material ranges from chamber music to Gypsy jazz to klezmer, they draw upon classical, Spanish and Jewish musical influences. With Grammy Award-winning Klezmatics trumpet player Frank London and sultry vocalist Basya Schechter. — Sunday, June 25, 5-7 p.m., JCC Manhattan, 334 Amsterdam Ave., (646) 505-4444, jccmanhattan.org. $15 in advance/$20 day of; in case of rain, concert moves to the Goldman-Sonnenfeldt Family Auditorium.

THE SHAULI EINAV QUARTET

The Israeli-American saxophonist and composer is a “remarkably complete musician, a virtuosic soloist with a lush sound on both soprano and tenor whose compositions are daring and deep” (All About Jazz), and his album “Opus One” (Plus Loin Music) was reviewed as a “smartly played, swinging and evocative jazz album” (DownBeat Magazine). With Edward Perez on bass, Nitzan Gavrieli on piano and Peter Kronreif on drums. — Monday, June 26, Smalls Jazz Club, 183 W. 10th St., (646) 476-4346, smallslive.com.

MICHAEL ATTIAS

Israeli-born saxophonist/composer/bandleader Michael Attias leads a versatile reeds-bass-drums outfit, dedicated as much to thoughtful hushes as bursts of rugged expressionism. — Tuesday, June 27, 7 p.m., Barbès, 376 Ninth St., Brooklyn, (347) 422-0248, barbesbrooklyn.com. $10.

OR BAREKET QUARTET

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mox_E3YMkbo

Born in Jerusalem and raised in Buenos Aires and Tel Aviv, Or Bareket, winner of the International Society of Bassists jazz competition in 2011, plays jazz informed by Mediterranean, South American and North African folklore. This performance will feature music from “OB1,” Bareket’s upcoming debut recording. — Thursday, June 29, 8 and 9 p.m., Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia St., (212) 989-9319, corneliastreetcafe.com. $20, drinks included.

TALAT
Led by Israeli-born, N.Y.-based jazz pianist Alon Nechushtan, the Talat ensemble plays original music inspired by new interpretations of klezmer and Middle Eastern grooves. Roaming between the borders of jazz, groove and folk, its music references a varied list of sources, from Sephardic niggunim to Israeli pop. — Sunday, July 2, 10 a.m. doors, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. concert, City Winery, 155 Varick St., (212) 608-0555, citywinery.com. $10.

Film

WONDER WOMAN

Unexpectedly smashing through the box-office’s glass ceiling and carrying women everywhere on her cape-tails, “Wonder Woman” is shaping up to be 2017’s biggest hit. Starring Sabra actress/model/former Miss Israel Gal Gadot, the first A-list Israeli movie star ever, the movie follows Diana, princess of the Amazons and demi-god, as she grows up on an all-female, all-warrior, all-Israeli-accented island. After a handsome British pilot fighter (Chris Pine) arrives on the island and alerts her to the World War (I) raging outside, the two rush off to save the world through their combined military prowess. — In very wide release.

THE B-SIDE

Portrait photographer Elsa Dorfman found her medium in 1980: the larger-than-life Polaroid Land 20×24 camera. For the next 35 years she captured the “surfaces” of those who visited her Cambridge, Massachusetts studio: families, Beat poets, rock stars and Harvard notables. As such pictures begin to fade and her retirement looms, Dorfman gives Director Errol Morris an inside tour of her backyard archive. — Opens Friday, June 30, Angelika Film Center, 18 W. Houston St., (212) 995-2570, angelikafilmcenter.com.

THE WOMEN’S BALCONY

When the women’s balcony in an Orthodox synagogue collapses, leaving the rabbi’s wife in a coma and the rabbi in shock, the congregation falls into crisis. Charismatic young Rabbi David appears to be a savior after the accident, but slowly starts pushing his fundamentalist ways. This tests the women’s friendships and creates an almost Lysistrata-type rift between the community’s women and men.— Through June 29, Quad Cinema, 34 W. 13th St., (212) 255-2243, quadcinema.com.

THE WEDDING PLAN

Rama Burshtein’s (“Fill the Void”) oddball romantic comedy follows Michal (Noa Koler), a 32-year-old Orthodox woman preparing for her much-anticipated wedding. When her fiancé abruptly decides to cancel their scheduled wedding, telling her, “I just don’t love you,” she decides that she will proceed without him. She hires a hall, plans a menu and sends out invitations. Now all she needs, with 22 days left before her chosen date, is a bridegroom. Koler won an Ophir (the Israeli version of the Oscar) for her performance. — Lincoln Plaza Cinema, 1886 Broadway, (212) 757-0359. For tickets and show times visit lincolnplazacinema.com.

13 MINUTES

During Hitler’s anniversary speech on Nov. 8, 1939, Georg Elser (Christian Friedel) is arrested on the Swiss border for possession of suspicious objects. Just minutes later, a bomb explodes in the Munich Bürgerbräukeller, immediately behind the Führer’s lectern, killing eight people. Elser is held and cruelly questioned by the Gestapo, and from them he learns that his attempt has failed — the man he wanted to kill in order to stop the bloodshed of World War II had fled 13 minutes before the explosion. — Lincoln Plaza Cinema, 1886 Broadway, (212) 757-0359. For tickets and show times visit lincolnplazacinema.com.

Talk

YIDDISH YELLOW PRESS
The epithet “yellow press” was often leveled at the socialist Yiddish Forverts by critics of its editor, Abraham Cahan, who accused him of imitating American news tactics to the detriment of the Yiddish reading audience. Author/researcher Elle Kellman discusses the challenges facing Cahan, as well as his ideas about how to write effectively for immigrant readers. — Thursday, June 29, 3 p.m., YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, 15 W. 16th St., yivo.org. Free.

Exhibitions

ELLA KOGAN, SEARCHING FOR THE SOUL
Ella Kogan, daughter of the renowned Jewish painter Leonid Kogan, is a classically trained musician-turned-sculptor. She was born in Russia but has worked in the United States for the past 40 years. This broad retrospective of bronze sculptures offers a glimpse into her life and works. — Through July 2, The National Arts Club, Trask and Marquis Galleries, 15 Gramercy Park South, russianamericanfoundation.org

ANISH KAPOOR
Celebrated Jewish-Indian sculptor and Genesis Prize-winner Sir Anish Kapoor brings his large-scale installation, “Descension,” to Brooklyn Bridge Park. Twenty-six feet in diameter, the work is a continuously swirling whirlpool filled with an all-natural black dye, producing the illusion of an ever-churning black hole. —On display through Sept. 10, Pier 1 ofBrooklyn BridgePark, Brooklyn, publicartfund.org

FLORINE STETTHEIMER: PAINTING POETRY
Through her critically acclaimed poems, paintings and drawings, as well as a selection of costume and theater designs, photographs and ephemera, The Jewish Museum offers a timely reconsideration of poet/painter Florine Stettheimer, an icon of Jazz Age New York. – Through Sept. 24, The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Ave., (212) 423-3200,thejewishmuseum.org

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