Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Books and Films – Paul Newman, Steven Spielberg, and the Second World War

By Oliver B. Pollak TETON VILLAGE, Wyoming — I watched The Fabelmans, Steven Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical film on Amazon Prime. There were four of us in the living room, that cut it down to $5 each. I had no intention of writing about it. I got a birthday gift in November, Paul Newman, The Extraordinary Life […]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Jewish Celebrities, Oliver Pollak, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

‘Ain’t Too Proud’ Production a Temptation for Music Lovers

Playing through January 8, this show will have you clapping and singing along whether you want to or not.  Against the backdrop of chart-topping hits like For Once In My Life; Since I lost My Baby; My Girl; The Way You Do The Things You Do, and of course the title song Ain’t Too Proud To Beg, the story of the Temptations’ rise to fame and the cost to their personal lives is narrated by the last surviving original member, Otis Williams, played by Michael Andreas.  [Sandi Masori]

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Dor L’ Dor: ‘Annie’ Continues To Delight 

The sun comes out at the Civic Theatre for the next few days.  The beloved musical Annie is back!  It’s been in San Diego several times, made into a few movies, and is a favorite of children’s theatre groups.  In spite of all this, somehow my son had never seen it, so I was really excited to go with him and show him something that was dear to my childhood. Afterall, what Gen X drama kid didn’t attempt an off-key version of “Tomorrow” at an audition or two?  My inability to hit those notes may have been the reason I was never cast in the show, but 12-year old actress Ellie Pulsifer, in her debut role, knocked it out of the park.  Looking around the theatre, it seemed that there were many parents like myself who were there with their children, excited to introduce the next generation to such happy songs as “Your Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile”, “Hard Knock Life”, and of course, “Tomorrow”.  The smiles on the faces of the kids showed that they were just as excited as their parents.  [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Mockingbird’ Delivers an Emotional Gut Punch

The show is similar to the original 1960 novel and 1962 movie, with a few differences.  Whereas Atticus Finch was the big hero in the original book and movie, in the play he has some flaws.  His big one is his belief that everyone deserves respect, even if, as his housekeeper Calpurnia (played by Jacqueline Williams) says, respecting them disrespects someone else.   [Sandi Masori]

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Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Hamilton’ at the Civic Theatre Sets a Mind to Wondering

It’s a great show, with a very catchy soundtrack.  I’ve seen it three times, and the first two times I was not there as a reviewer, but as a full-paying audience member. This is the second time that it’s been at the Civic Theatre and is always a fan favorite.  One of the things that they do that’s really special is that there is a lottery for every performance for discounted tickets.  When the producers set it up, keeping with the theme of giving representation to actors that don’t normally get to play the lead, in spite of massive talent, they also wanted to make sure that people who wouldn’t normally be able to go to the theatre got a chance for extremely discounted tickets.  [Sandi Masori]

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San Diego County, Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

‘Extreme Home Makeover’ is a San Diego Theater’s Spin on Well-Known Reality TV Show

By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — Reality television shows were not born with “Fear Factor” or “The Bachelor,” yet somehow this genre opened new avenues for questionable entertainment. These shows piqued our curiosity and opened our eyes to how another sector lives. In 2004, ABC aired a show on the family channel entitled, “Extreme Makeover.”

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Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Getting it Wrong on FDR and the Holocaust

By Rafael Medoff The latest film from Ken Burns, “The U.S. and the Holocaust,” has aroused controversy with its claim that President Franklin D. Roosevelt did his best to help save Jews from the Nazis. As Donald Harrison notes in his October 5 column, filmmakers Burns, Sarah Botstein, and Lynn Novick contend that “FDR would

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Holocaust, International, Opinion, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Pros and Cons of Ken Burns’ Holocaust Documentary

Many readers of San Diego Jewish World know Baron via his political satire columns, but I asked my colleague to put his hat back on as a Holocaust scholar to assess how well Burns’ documentary had covered the subject.[Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, Jewish History, Lawrence Baron, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

San Diego International Film Festival Runs the Gamut of Human Emotions

By Eva Trieger SAN DIEGO — If you’ve been holding your breath anticipating the return of the San Diego International Film Festival, it’s time to exhale. However, the depth and breadth of films will have you panting trying to keep up with the evocative array of human emotions. To learn more about the SDIFF 2022,

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Eva Trieger, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Israeli Athlete Survived the Holocaust and the Munich Olympics Massacre

ESPN and ESPN+ will premiere at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept 20, The Survivor, an hour-long documentary on the murder of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympics. Reporter Jeremy Schaap interviews Shaul Ladany, a teammate of the slain athletes, who has been dubbed an “ultimate survivor.”  Along with his family, he had earlier in his life survived the Holocaust. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Holocaust, International, Israel, Jewish History, Sports & Competitions, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

The Poignant Dramas of Border Crossers

The current offering at La Jolla Playhouse attempts to provide unity and solidarity for those Latinos disenfranchised by politics and economics. Fandango for Butterflies (and Coyotes) celebrates the “joyous, inclusive spirit” that coexists along with the divisiveness and inequity facing immigrants. Through music and dance, audiences are let into the challenging and often harsh realities immigrants of so many Latin American countries have faced, while trying to gain access to America.  [Eva Trieger]

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Eva Trieger, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Stunning Costumes, Sets Embellish ‘The Lion King’

The stand-out actors were Timon and Pumba (played by Tony Freeman and John E Brady), the three hyenas (played by Martina Sykes, Forest VanDyke, and Robbie Swift), and Rafiki the medicine woman baboon (played by Gugwana Dlamini, who also added some powerful African vocals and can be heard on the original movie soundtrack as well).  Judging by the audience’s roars at curtain call, there was consensus on these stand-out performances.  [Sandi Masori]

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Sandi Masori, Theatre, Film & Broadcast