The Arts

‘Brooklyn Boy’ done right at Scripps Ranch Theatre

 By Carol Davis   SAN DIEGO–Donald Margulies’ Brooklyn Boy is one of my favorite plays by one of my favorite playwrights. First seen at The South Coast Repertory Theatre in Costa Mesa in its premiere production in 2004, Margulies was approaching his 50th year; a time for self-reflection. His other works include Dinner With Friends, Sight […]

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Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

San Diego Jewish Film Festival preview: ‘David’

By Jack Forman SAN DIEGO — Joel Fendelman is a young independent film producer and director whose feature-length documentary film Needle Through Brick (which is about the development of Kung Fu)  recently won the Silver Palm award at the Mexico International Film Festival. In making his first feature film David, Fendelman has drawn on his

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast

A positive recommendation for ‘The Recommendation’

By Carol Davis   SAN DIEGO—The next time you ask someone for a recommendation, you’d better ask the right person; one whose connected, is dependable and knows almost everything about you. Asking one who is connected can open doors. Asking one who is dependable will assure you get the recommendation. Asking one who knows almost

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Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘How to Succeed’ a timely success for the Welk

By Carol Davis ESCONDIDO, CA—It’s a pretty timely event, the dual openings of the Broadway hit, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Lawrence Welk Theatre in Escondido recently opened the award-winning musical by Frank Loesser (music and lyrics), Abe Burrows, Jack Weinstock, and Willy Gilbert (book) while the revival is presently being played

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Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

The Avo built a better ‘Mousetrap’ and theatre goers are flocking there to see it

By Carol Davis VISTA, California–Agatha Christie’s The Mousetrap began as a radio play in 1947. In 1952 the play opened in the West End in London and never really closed. 25,000 performances later it’s made it’s way across the ocean, across the continent to Vista where the Avo Theatre, with director Jason Heil at the

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Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Even with addition of two Footes, play is no great feat

By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO–When it comes to dividing up the family estate between brothers and sisters, any amount of civility goes unnoticed in playwright Horton Foote’s last comedy/drama. In Dividing the Estate the three adult Gordon siblings (Lucille, Lewis, called Brother and Mary Jo) who assemble at their childhood home, for a supposed dinner

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Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Request Programme’ reprised and ready for prime time

   By Carol Davis SAN DIEGO—Ion theatre company is reprising Franz Xavier Kroetz’ one-woman show, Request Programme. In 2008 Ion mounted this piece in their little theatre adjacent to the Trolley stop in Allied Gardens. Now in their new space on 6th Avenue with the stage much closer to the audience, Linda Libby reenacts a

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Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Eichmann’s End’ recounts capture and trial of notorious Nazi

By Joel and Arlene Moskowitz LA JOLLA, California–Adolph Eichmann is a name that is likely to be unfamiliar to present generations  of young Jews and even more so to young gentiles. Eichmann’s End, a film about an  evil man who effected the annihilation of the Jews and other peoples despised by the Nazis over six decades ago

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International, Jewish History, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Elephant Man’ a brave but problematic production

By Carol Davis CHULA VISTA, California —One of the very first plays I saw at the old Lyceum Theatre downtown (just before it came under the wrecking ball to make way for Horton Plaza, was Bernard Pomerance’s 1977 play, The Elephant Man. Later in 1998 The North Coast Repertory Theatre in Solana Beach mounted it.

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Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Dusk,’ an Israeli movie, is a multi-sided morality tale

By Jack Forman SAN DIEGO–Dusk is an intriguing, imaginatively-directed and very well acted 90-minute Israeli film which in Hebrew is titled Beyn Hashmashot. But a more accurate translation of the Hebrew title is “Twilight”; literally, “Beyn Hashmashot”  means “between the suns”, i.e., between the sunset and the onset of evening. (In English, the onset of

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Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

S.D. Jewish Film Festival: ‘The Kissinger Saga’ a double American success story

“The Kissenger Saga,” a film by Evi Kurz Reviewed by Joel and Arlene Moskowitz LA JOLLA, California–The story of the Kissenger boys, who escaped Hitler’s campaign to anihilate the Jews, is a star example of the American dream .  It is told in a picture directed by Evi Kurz who wrote a book about them.  Henry (actually

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Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘The Lion in Winter’ roars in New Year at North Coast Rep

By Carol Davis SOLANA BEACH, California —Thirty  years ago the late Tom Blakistone and his wife Olive founded the North Coast Repertory Theatre in the shopping center at Loma Santa Fe in Solana Beach.  The first incarnation of this theater was located in a tiny little corner right next to an ice cream store.  My

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Carol Davis, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast