Masha Leon
By Masha Leon
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The Schmooze ‘Son of Saul’ Star Geza Rohrig’s Behind-the-Scenes Revelations
The first question I asked Budapest-born Geza Röhrig, star of László Nemes’ viscerally gripping film “Son of Saul”, was: “How did you come to the role — and why?” In the film, Röhrig inhabits the body of a Sondercommando who helps “clean up” after the disposal of convoy after convoy of victims and spends wordless hours…
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The Schmooze Evgeny Kissin Wows at Carnegie in Double Header of Piano and Yiddish
At Evgeny Kissin’s December 16 “Jewish Music and Poetry” Concert at Carnegie Hall, the Moscow-born virtuoso masterfully sailed through Ernest Bloch’s (1880-1959) 24-minute 1945 Piano Sonata Op. 40, Alexander Veprik’s (1899-1958) Piano Sonata No 2. Op 5 (1924), and Alexander Krein’s (1883-1951) Suite dansee, Op. 44 (1928). But between keyboard magic, it was his recitation…
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The Schmooze Eleanor Reissa and Klezmer Brass All-Stars Whoop it Up for Hanukkah Finale
T’was the last night of Hanukkah and the concert hall at the Center for Jewish History was packed for the Annual Chanukah Concert starring the inimitable actor-director-singer Eleanor Reissa who performed both solo and backed up by the ear-shattering, kishke churning pyrotechnics of Klezmatics founder Frank London and the Klezmer Brass All Stars. Sponsored by…
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The Schmooze Folksbiene’s Bryna Wasserman Talks ‘The Golden Bride’
“Today I am happy!” Bryna Wasserman, National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene executive director, told me following the December 8 and 9 Gala launches of “The Golden Bride,” (Di Goldene Kale) a revival of Joseph Rumshinsky’s deliciously amazing operetta at the Museum of Jewish Heritage’s Edmund J. Safra Hall. This is the first since 1920 that the…
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The Schmooze Wolf Blitzer Remembers Holocaust Survivor Parents at Yad Vashem Dinner
“I feel as if I grew up with you” Wolf Blitzer, CNN’s lead political anchor told the 500 guests at The American and International Societies for Yad Vashem 70th Tribute Dinner at The Pierre. “My parents were Holocaust survivors. You were eyewitnesses to horrors and [those] who are still with us are very special people….
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The Schmooze Mariel Hemingway Opens Up About Her Family’s Depression
“I come from one of the greatest American families in the world,” said Mariel Hemingway, Academy-Award-nominated actress, mother, mental health advocate and now author of “Out Came the Sun: Overcoming the Legacy of Mental Illness, Addiction and Suicide in my Family.” Speaking to guests at the Hope for Depression Research Foundation’s Ninth Annual HOPE Luncheon…
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The Schmooze ‘Tradition!’ Behind the Curtain of ‘Fiddler on the Roof’
With “Fiddler On the Roof** about-to-open in a new production at The Broadway Theatre, I met with behind-the-scenes writer Barbara Isenberg whose must-read book “Tradition” is at times akin to Page Six exposes of “Fiddler” history. With conversations starting in New York and ending in California, her positioning of “’Fiddler” is of coming of age…
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The Schmooze U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum Gala Honors Young Philanthropists
At its “What You Do Matters” New York Tribute Dinner, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum honored two passionate young visionaries Howard D. Unger and Todd A. Fisher with its National Leadership Awards. Andi Barchas, Director of the museum’s Northeast Regional Office told the more than 400 guests at Cipriani 42nd Street who helped raise…
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