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Tango Shalom Wins Best Film for Peace and Tolerance at Cannes – Downtown Q&A: Judi Beecher

Judi on the set of Tango Shalom. Photo by X

Tango Shalom has just won Best Film for Peace and Tolerance at the AFI awards for peace and tolerance at the Cannes Film Festival. Earlier in July, we sat down with a star of a film, Judi Beecher. Here’s what we learned.

We met Judi Beecher at the rally for the Battery Park City Community which won the fight to prevent Governor Cuomo from building a large monument for essential workers on their beloved land. While standing on a common ground for the love of grass and trees, we discovered another common ground. Beecher is not only a lover of Downtown but a lover of the arts. She is a multi-award-winning international actress, singer-songwriter, and filmmaker. Talk about a triple threat.

Her most recent project is with the NYC-based-in “Tango Shalom”, a film about a Rabbi who gets a calling from God to become a tango dancer, but his religion prevents him from touching women he is not married to. To get some sage advice, he confides in several other religions. Beecher plays the role of the Rabbi’s wife and tells us all about it – all the way from Cannes Film Festival.

 

Downtown Q&A: Judi Beecher
Judi Beecher

 

Downtown: How did you get into acting?
Judi Beecher: I studied business and international relations at Cornell University then interned for six months in a French Bank in Paris while modeling on my lunch breaks. I then briefly had a very successful import-export company at 512 7th Avenue in NY, repping upscale French and Italian clothing lines. When my best friend from college asked me where I saw myself in 5 years, I realized I wasn’t completely happy doing what I was doing. So I read the book “What Color is Your Parachute”. I realized that since I was a child I was always performing, everything pointed to acting, singing, and directing, so I closed my business and enrolled in Acting School.

DT: Who did you study under?
JB: I studied with acting masters and founders of the Actors Studio; Uta Hagen, Billy Hickey, Bobby Lewis, and Elaine Stritch at the Stella Adler Conservatory. I also did a two-year Meisner program at Gately Poole and Actors Movement Studio and Playwrights Horizons in NYC. In Los Angeles, I studied with Larry Moss and Gordon Hunt.

DT: Can you name some of your previous works?
JB: I was just on the French TV series, “La Garçonne” the same producers as “Call My Agent”.  I was in “Taken 3” with Liam Neeson, Dany Boon’s, “Family is Family”, “Law and Order,” “The Shield”, “Jag” and much more. 😉 I won Best Actress for the Romantic Comedy, “Only in Paris” which I also produced, and I was the voice and motion capture of the lead character Madison Paige in the acclaimed video game “Heavy Rain” where I was voted 25 best VO performances of all time by the “Complex” magazine.

DT: What roles did you have in the making of Tango Shalom?
JB: I played the role of Raquel Yehuda, the Chassidic Jewish Mother of five and the wife of Rabbi Moishe Yehuda who is told by God that he must enter a televised dance competition to resolve his financial problems. I was also an executive producer on the film.

DT: Where did the inspiration for the film come from?
JB: The inspiration came from Jos Laniado who plays Moishe Yehuda and who also co-wrote the film with his brother Claudio Laniado and Joseph Bologna. Jos is an actor, teacher, and also a Tango Dancer, who went regularly to Chabad where he imagined what would happen if a Rabbi got a calling to dance the Tango, and Tango Shalom was born!

DT: What motivated you about this particular film?
JB: Tango Shalom is about bringing cultures and religions together in a sweet, loving, fun way. It exemplifies the power of family, love, support, and being open to others’ faiths.  In the film, Moishe is forced to ask a Catholic priest, a Muslim imam, and a Sikh holy man for advice. Together, they hash out a plan to help Moshe dance in the Tango contest without sacrificing his sacred beliefs.

The film industry is a powerful medium, just before meeting Claudio Laniado at the Cannes Film Festival. I had recently had an epiphany that I needed to work on projects that would do something to change the consciousness of the planet, a few years later I auditioned for the lead role! The film is a feel-good film, with a message, fabulous music and dance! I can watch the film over and over again and never tire of it.

DT: Tango Shalom has garnered an 80% rotten tomatoes rating already. That’s quite the high score for rotten tomatoes! How does that make you feel?  
JB: It makes me feel fantastic. The film isn’t out yet and already we have won 7 awards.  I can’t wait for it to open in theatres worldwide so everyone can see it!

DT: For how long have you lived in downtown NYC?
JB: I’ve lived in Battery Park City/Tribeca for 11 years, it is the longest I’ve lived anywhere!

DT: What is your favorite spot in Downtown NYC?
JB: I love Rockefeller Park and Grand Banks when the weather is nice. I love to sit on the sailboat, have dinner and feel like I’m traveling in the Caribbean, in my own backyard.

For more Downtown Q&A, click here.

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Culture Featured Finance Living News NYC Travel

Explore Social Distance-Friendly NYC Holiday Events by Charter Bus

Explore Social Distance-Friendly NYC Holiday Events by Charter Bus
ShutterStock

 

The holidays may look a little different this year, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the season with your loved ones! Rather than scrambling to distance yourself from your fellow subway passengers or hailing cab after cab after cab throughout the day, round up your established pod of loved ones and let a thoroughly sanitized New York City bus rental transport you to these fan-favorite events this holiday season:

 

Rockefeller Christmas Tree

The holidays in Manhattan wouldn’t be the same without America’s favorite Christmas tree. You can marvel at all 75 feet of this glittering Norway Spruce both online (through the Rockefeller Building’s live stream) and in-person—with a face covering on, of course.

Have your bus driver drop everyone off near the tree-viewing entrances on 49th and 50th Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues, and follow the markers on the ground as you wait in line to have your moment with the tree. These social distancing markers can only accommodate up to four people per spot, so large groups will need to split into smaller pods. Once you’ve reached the bedazzled, 11-ton tree, your group will have five minutes to take in the lights and take as many Christmas-card-worthy photos as you please.

 

Bryant Park Winter Village

If you haven’t already picked out gifts for your loved ones, why not buy local? That’s right, the Winter Village is still up and running! From handmade jewelry to boutique maple syrups, piping hot cocoa to fresh-baked gingerbread, this outdoor market has a little holiday cheer for everyone.

While you’ll find fewer vendors here than in years past, the new layout allows for wider walkways and more room for social distancing while you wander through the stalls. Hand sanitizing stations are available around the village, and many vendors use contactless payment methods. Oh, and all staff will be wearing masks and face coverings—so you should too.

Brooklyn’s Largest Menorah

 

Though it’s no longer “NYC’s Largest Menorah” (it now shares the title with the display in Central Park), this huge Brooklyn spectacle is still a sight to behold this holiday season. This menorah towers at 32 feet high—the maximum height it can possibly be by Jewish law—and you need a crane to light each candle! 

Stop by any night of Chanukah to catch the celebration at the Grand Army Plaza. Many past years’ customs will still be in place, so expect live music, food vendors, and some small gifts for the kids. Social distancing protocols will be used, but if the crowds get to be too much, grab a hot latke to-go and take a walk along some of Prospect Park’s lesser-known trails.

 

Explore Social Distance-Friendly NYC Holiday Events by Charter Bus
ShutterStock

 

HolidayMagic at the NYBG

If your merrymakers are lucky enough to be Members, Patrons, Corporate Members, or Bronx Community Partners for the New York Botanical Garden, you’re in for a treat. This year, you’ll have exclusive access to the gardens’ Holiday Train Show! Come by before Jan. 31 to see the model trains zip through miniature replicas of NYC landmarks made from natural materials like birch bark, acorns, and cinnamon sticks. Besides limiting the number of people allowed into this year’s event, NYBG is also implementing an online-only ticket reservation system, as well as increased cleaning efforts and face-covering requirements for all visitors (including children over the age of 2). 

 

Not a member? Not to worry, there’s always NYBG GLOW: the twinkling light display in the Haupt Conservatory! There should be plenty of space to spread out within the conservatory, and there’s a lot to see outside as well. Your tiny tots and children-at-heart are sure to love the illuminated ice sculptures and tap their feet to pop-up performances by The Hip Hop Nutcracker. Like the train show, tickets for NYBG GLOW must be purchased online and in advance, and entry windows are timed to limit the number of people inside. 

The Rink at Brookfield Place 

From now until the first week of April, you can show off your skating skills to your loved ones and perfect your triple salchow at this downtown outdoor rink. It costs $15 for an hour time slot on the ice and $5 per skate rental—through private skate sessions are reservable for an extra fee. Skaters and onlookers alike must have their temperature taken every day they stop by, everyone must skate at least 6 feet apart, and visitors must wear masks at all times: while waiting in line, while watching the skaters glide by, and while skating.

 

The rink itself boasts 7,350 square feet of ice (plenty of room to spread out!), and your skaters can always take a break to stroll along the Hudson if it gets too crowded for your liking. And when you’ve had your fill of ice, everyone can warm back up on your completely climate-controlled bus rental, which can include plush reclining seats for your groups’ comfort.

 

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Chefs Dining Museums News Nutrition NYC Restaurants

Serving Up a Dish of Heart and Sole

Serving Up a Dish of Heart and Sole

Holocaust survivors are considered some of the most vulnerable New Yorkers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

Serving Up a Dish of Heart and Sole
David Teyf – Executive Chef

One Manhattan restaurateur is making sure they get a dose of comfort – and good food – while staying indoors to remain safe.

Madison and Park Hospitality Group’s David Teyf, the executive chef who operates Lox at Cafe Bergson at the Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust, is preparing pre-packaged kosher meals for Holocaust survivors.

With a small team, Teyf then bring the meals directly to these seniors across New York City.

“I am personally cooking and delivering these meals. I know that my grandparents, who were Holocaust survivors, are smiling down on me. This is something I want to do to honor them and because it’s the right thing to do,” Teyf says. “It’s in my soul to give back.”

An estimated 38,000 Holocaust survivors live in the greater New York City metropolitan area, according to Selfhelp Community Services. More than 50% of them live in poverty.

The pandemic is particularly traumatizing, echoing their lives more than 75 years ago during the Holocaust when food and resources were scarce. Because of coronavirus restrictions, they struggle with a lack of resources and community as they isolate at home.

Teyf has partnered with the Museum and the Met Council to identify 50 Holocaust survivors who need assistance. Additionally, the Museum is reaching out to other survivors to assess their needs so Teyf can provide more support.

He also is setting up an arrangement to deliver more kosher meals to essential healthcare workers at hospitals throughout New York City. The meals include salads, entrees, and desserts.

 

Serving Up a Dish of Heart and Sole
Jewish dish from Teyf’s restaurant

Teyf’s family has more than a century of epicurean experience.

“My great-grandfather started baking matzah for the Jewish community in Minsk in 1920,” he says. Each of his grandparents was the sole family survivor of the Holocaust. “After the Holocaust, my grandfather continued his father’s tradition of baking matzah for the Jewish community, which he had ultimately risked his life during Communist times until 1979. In 1979, my grandfather decided to pick the whole family up and leave Minsk for the United States for our Jewish freedom.”

Museum President and CEO Jack Kliger praised Teyf’s philanthropy.

“David is doing a real mitzvah,” Kliger says. “The Met Council and David are being generous with their hearts and minds: stepping up to serve others when there is a great need in our city.”

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Events Health NYC Theater

Broadway’s Best for Breast Cancer!

The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan is raising the curtain on a five-episode virtual health and wellness series, Broadway’s Best for Breast Cancer!, led by Hamilton star Mandy Gonzalez.

Caroline Kohles

The series is part of JCC’s cancer care partnership with Breastlink New York, an initiative that offers complementary care to those living with breast cancer.

This free series kicks off on Monday, June 1, and airs every Monday at 6:00 pm. It’s co-hosted by Caroline Kohles, senior director of health and wellness programming at the JCC.

“People living with cancer right now are anxious and afraid,” Kohles says. “They are going to be sheltering in place for much longer than the rest of us because their immune systems are so compromised. They need practices and tools to help with the fear and anxiety and a bit of entertainment to distract them and keep them focused and positive.”

“Together we will laugh, cry, and learn—while boosting our health,” says Gonzalez, who is currently battling breast cancer. “Along the way, I will share my personal journey with cancer. I will also share how my theater skills and loved ones got me through some tough times.”

Currently starring as Angelica Schuyler in the megahit Hamilton (until the Broadway shutdown in March), Gonzalez also originated and starred as Nina Rosario in the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical In The Heights, for which she received a Drama Desk Award. She has starred as Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked, for which she was honored with a Broadway.com Award for Best Replacement. She also appeared on Broadway in Aida, Lennon, and Dance of the Vampires, and Off-Broadway in Eli’s Comin’.

Shows feature guest Broadway stars, who offer guidance to those facing health challenges during the pandemic.

Each is followed by a live Q&A on Facebook Live. You can register online in advance here.

The series will feature appearances by Dr. Alison Estabrook, renowned breast surgeon and co-founder of Breastlink New York. The June 1 episode will feature a conversation with Krysta Rodriguez (Spring Awakening, The Addams Family, In the Heights), and guidance from positive psychologist Maria Sirois, a master teacher, facilitator, author, and international consultant who focuses on the resilience of the human spirit when under pressure and/or during the significant transition.

Subsequent episodes of Broadway’s Best for Breast Cancer! will feature health and wellness experts, as well as Broadway stars:

  • Episode 2 (June 8): Kerry Butler, who delivered award-nominated and/or -winning performances in Broadway’s Mean Girls, Xanadu and Hairspray; and, international best-selling author and research psychologist Kelly McGonigal, discussing the joy of movement and the healing power of music.
  • Episode 3 (June 15): James Monroe Iglehart, best known for his Tony Award-winning performance as the Genie in Aladdin on Broadway; and, Kathy Washburn, founder of Carved by Cancer, a support network for cancer survivors, discussing the taboo topic of sexuality and cancer and how creativity can be unleashed with “masterdates.”
  • Episode 4 (June 22): Telly Leung, best known for appearances in Aladdin, Allegiance, and In-Transit on Broadway; and, a special guest to be announced at a later date.
  • Episode 5 (June 29): Javier Muñoz, best known for his performances in Hamilton and In the Heights; and, a special guest to be announced at a later date.

Broadway’s Best for Breast Cancer! is endorsed by JCC community partners Sharsheret, The Nia Technique, and The American Cancer Society. It’s just one part of the JCC’s robust array of health and wellness programs for cancer care, all of them free for those in treatment or at risk for breast cancer.

The Broadway’s Best for Breast Cancer! series is promoting the First Virtual Shirley Kohn JCC Spa Day for Women with Breast Cancer on June 28 (learn more information here). People can visit jccmanhattan.org/cancer-care for a complete schedule, course descriptions, and to register.

Categories
Entertainment Music Theater

Make 2018 a Year of Yiddish with the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene

Celebrating its 103rd season, Tony Award-nominated and Drama Desk Award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene is the longest consecutively producing theatre in the United States and the world’s oldest continuously operating Yiddish theatre company.

“Throughout our storied history, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene has created a living legacy through the arts, presenting a range of dynamic plays, musicals, concerts, educational programs and much more that engage and inspire people of all ages,” said NYTF’s Chief Executive Officer, Christopher Massimine. “In 2018, we continue this rich cultural heritage by bringing ‘the people’s stage’ to even more audiences.”

Headquartered in Downtown Manhattan’s Museum of Jewish Heritage, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene unveiled its Spring/Summer 2018 season this week. Anchoring the season is the Yiddish version of “Fiddler on the Roof,” which has not been staged since its world premiere production in Israel more than 50 years ago. Translated and adapted by Shraga Friedman, performances are set to begin July 4, in the Edmond J. Safra Theatre at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Battery Park.

“Our version of Fiddler is set to design an accurate re-creation of how this musical might look and sound in its native Yiddish tongue,” stated Mr. Massimine. “The context of this production will be presented to provide a culturally historical retrospective. Concurrently, we are working with filmmaker Max Lewkowicz of Dog Green Productions, who is creating the official Fiddler documentary.”

NYTF will be actively consulting with Pulitzer Prize-, Grammy-, and four-time Tony Award-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick, a member of NYTF’s newly formed Artistic Council, about the show’s development, and will work with The Jerome Robbins Foundation to honor his original choreography and his connection to Yiddish culture. 2018 is the 100th anniversary of Jerome Robbins’ birth and his centennial year will be celebrated with hundreds of programs around the world.

Fiddler on The Roof features music by Jerry Bock, lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, and book by Joseph Stein. The original Broadway production of the show, which opened in 1964, was the first musical theatre production in history to surpass 3,000 performances. The show won the 1965 Tony Award for Best Musical in addition to eight other Tony Awards that year.

The Yiddish translation was artfully crafted by noted Israeli actor/director Shraga Friedman in 1965, just one year after the Broadway debut of Fiddler on the Roof and deepens the connection of the work to the original stories of Sholom Aleichem. For an example, “If I Were a Rich Man” is translated into Yiddish as “If I Were a Rothschild”, referencing the title of another short story by the beloved author.

From February through the summer, the new season is filled with programs serving a diverse audience of performing arts patrons, cultural enthusiasts, Yiddish-language aficionados and the general public.

“This season, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene will continue to offer enriching experiences showcasing both old and new traditions, and even seed some new ones,” said NYTF’s Artistic Director, Zalmen Mlotek. “Yiddish is the heart and soul of language and culture, and where better to experience this amazing language and create lasting memories than in our country’s longest-running Yiddish theatre company.”

On tap this season are signature events, most held at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, including these on the immediate horizon: “Vilnius”, a staged reading of a new play by Ira Fuchs on February 6;  Early Yiddish Theatre and Vaudeville on February 11; the immersive theatrical experience “House of Esther: Immersive Purim Event” on February 28; “King of the Jews”, a staged reading of a play by Leslie Epstein, on March 5; “From the Yiddish Rialto to the Silver Screen” on March 11; and, a holiday event for the whole family, Pop-Up Passover, on March 25.

Throughout its history, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene has created a living legacy through the arts, connecting generations and bridging communities, bringing history to life by reviving the lost and forgotten gems of the Yiddish stage through its global restoration project, commissioning new work, and adapting pre-existing work for the 21st Century.

“Fiddler on The Roof” performances will run from July 4 through August 12. NYTF members will have exclusive access to sales until February 12, when tickets will go on sale to the general public. For advance sales/membership/groups, call 212-213-2120 Ext. 204. For tickets after February 12 visit their website or call 866-811-4111.

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Business

Stars Gather In Washington To Celebrate Theodore Bikel’s 90th Birthday

Sholom_Aleichem_Theodore_Bikel
A star-studded collection of artists from a wide spectrum of artistic disciplines will gather at the Washington Hebrew Congregation to pay tribute to the star of stage, screen and sound.

Among those expect to perform or attend are such luminaries as Tom Paxton, Dr. Hans Peter Manz, Amichai Lau-Lavie and David Amram. Judy Collins, Arlo Guthrie, and Peter Yarrow are expected to provide video tributes. Mr. Bikel will perform a selection of his favorite songs, accompanied by Folksbiene Artistic Director Zalman Mlotek.

Mr. Bikel was born in Vienna, Austria, but on the eve of World War II emigrated to what was then, Palestine and is now, Israel. He lived on a kibbutz but left when he realized his future was in performing and not agriculture.

He went on to graduate from the Royal Academy of the Dramatic Arts in London, before moving to America where he appeared in numerous memorable film and TV roles.

He has more than 40 records, founded the Newport Folk Festival with Pete Seeger, and through it all fought for workers, peace and freedom. He received an Academy Award nomination for his role in 1958’s groundbreaking film, The Defiant Ones, and has played the role of Tevye in Fiddler On The Roof more than any other actor.

“Theodore is not only an American icon, he belongs to the world,” says event co-sponsor and New York developer and real estate luminary, Elie Hirschfeld. “His work on the behalf of the arts in this country and in support of the State of Israel has been beyond exemplary. I am proud to call him my friend.”

The event-5:30 p.m. at the Washington Hebrew Congregation (3935 Macomb St. NW, DC)-is a benefit for Moment Magazine and its Daniel Pearl Investigative Journalism Initiative. For more information please go to: Momentmag.com/Nov16

Theodore Bikel in Fiddler on the Roof

Theodore Bikel in Fiddler on the Roof

A film celebrating the artist’s life titled Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem is now available for festival and event screenings.