In conversation: Naomi Sorkin

“It was always the dramatic that appealed to me, as it did to Ida”

Actor, dancer and influencer from her teens, an acclaimed Cleopatra, impresario – and a Jewish star… This is an apt description of both the eponymous heroine of Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act, and Naomi Sorkin, the multi-talented performer who takes on the title role in this biographical drama. Rubinstein worked with the likes of Diaghilev, Nijinsky and Debussy, and commissioned Ravel’s Bolero! Famed to this day in Russia and her native Ukraine, she is all but forgotten in the West. But all that is about to change now that Sorkin is championing her in this multimedia show, combining text, movement, music, projections and film to evoke the shock of the new in early 20th-century performance arts.

In the auditorium of The Playground Theatre – one of London’s newest and the only theatre in White City, which she runs with her husband, fellow actor, director and impresario Peter Tate – Sorkin speaks to JR's Arts Editor Judi Herman about her own career, as well as the life and loves of Ida Rubinstein.

Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act runs until Saturday 16 October*. 7.30pm, 3pm (9 Oct only). £10-£22. The Playground Theatre, W10 6RQ. https://theplaygroundtheatre.london

*This show has been rescheduled from 2020.

Read our review of Ida Rubinstein: The Final Act on the JR blog.

Licoricia of Winchester

Discover the story of a powerful 13th-century businesswoman and hear about plans for a statue of her in her home city

Licoricia of Winchester was a name to be reckoned with in 13th-century England, and not just because it suggested delicious sweetmeats. This astute and resourceful businesswoman, moneylender and friend to royalty was also a wife and mother, whose second husband David of Oxford – one of the wealthiest Jews in the country – divorced his first wife to marry her. She was twice confined in the Tower of London and sadly suffered the ultimate reversal of fortune – she was found murdered in her Winchester home in Jewry Street.

Her story plays an important role in the history of the Jewish community in England, particularly before its expulsion in 1290, and indeed a vital part of the history of women in Medieval England. Now the Jewish community is joining with others in her home city to celebrate the life of this prominent daughter and to share the often troubled early history of Winchester’s Jewish community.

An appeal is well underway to raise money for a statue by multi-award-winning sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, to be sited in the heart of the city on Jewry Street itself. Last year, Judi Herman went to the unveiling of the maquette of the statue and met some of the key figures behind the project, including Maggie Carver, Chair of the Licoricia of Winchester Statue Appeal, and the sculptor himself. Before signing off, Judi pays a brief visit to Winchester to check out the proposed site of the statue, appropriately located outside the Winchester Discovery Centre.

By Judi Herman

Sunday 19 January sees Carole Weinberg deliver a talk about the Licoricia of Winchester. 10.30am. FREE. Menorah Synagogue, Manchester, M22 4RZ. 016 1428 7746. www.menorah.org.uk

Visit https://licoricia.org to find out more about the statue.

In conversation: Katy Lipson

"I’ve just got energy and passion. And you’ve got to have business acumen"

Busy theatre producer Katy Lipson divides her time between Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre and a raft of venues in London and across the UK. Her production company, Aria Entertainment, has two stellar shows transferring from Manchester to London (and other UK venues) this January, but she took some time out tell us about her life, work and forthcoming productions. Rags the Musical – with lyrics by Stephen Schwartz (Wicked), music by Charles Strouse (Annie) and book by Joseph Stein (Fiddler) – follows Jewish immigrants working every hour G-d gives them to build a new life in turn-of-the-century America, while Mame (music and lyrics by the great Jerry Herman*), a show replete with glitz and glamour despite its Depression setting, tells of the eccentric bohemian of the title, who steps up to care for her orphaned nephew.

By Judi Herman

Rags the Musical runs Thursday 9 January – Saturday 8 February**. 7.30pm, 3pm (Thu & Sat only). £18.50-£32.50, £16.50-£23.50 concs, £15-£20 under-16s. Park Theatre, N4 3JP. 020 7870 6876. www.parktheatre.co.uk

**On Sunday 19 January there will be a gala fundraiser: The Spark of Creation. This includes a panel discussion and Q&A, featuring Stephen Schwartz. 7.30pm. £60-£65. All proceeds go towards Rags the Musical.

Mame: Life’s a Banquet runs Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 January. 7.45pm, 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). £24-£40. Royal & Derngate, Northampton, NN1 1DP. www.royalandderngate.co.uk

Tuesday 21 – Saturday 25 January. 7.30pm, 2.15pm (Thu & Sat only). £14-£30. Salisbury Playhouse, SP2 7RA. www.wiltshirecreative.co.uk

*On 26 December 2019, Jerry Herman sadly passed away. Read Judi Herman’s tribute to the great composer and lyricist on the JR blog.

In conversation: Alexandra Raikhlina

“I was saddened that as a Jewish musician I wasn’t familiar with these composers and these works”

Brundibár Arts Festival's Artistic Director, Alexandra Raikhlina, launched the UK event in 2015. Taking place annually in Newcastle, the festival is dedicated to music and arts of the Holocaust and takes its name from Hans Krása's children's opera Brundibár (Bumblebee), which was performed in Terezin concentration camp. Raikhlina, a hugely talented violinist and graduate of the Yehudi Menuhin School, reveals the inspirations that led her to found the festival and tells us about her own background. She also highlights some key events of the 2020 festival, which opens on National Holocaust Day.

By Judi Herman

Brundibár Arts Festival runs Monday 27 January – Tuesday 4 February. Various times, prices and venues in Newcastle and Gateshead. www.brundibarartsfestival.com

Read more about Brundibár Arts Festival and Karel Švenk’s play The Last Cyclist, which will be performed at the festival, in the Jan 2020 issue of JR.

Behind the scenes: First Encounters – Merchant of Venice

"Would Shylock have gone through with the court, had Jessica returned? Absolutely not!"

In an exciting production from Director Robin Belfield, theatregoers as young as primary school age are being introduced to the Bard in an engaging, thought-provoking and funny new way. The Royal Shakespeare Company is currently touring Belfield's 90-minute adaptation of the Merchant of Venice, which involves audience participation, student actors playing Jessica and Lorenzo and a woman in the role of Shylock. Judi Herman captures the essence of the show in her latest podcast, which features music from the production, verdicts from young members of the audience, and an interview with Israeli actor Shani Erez, who plays Shylock as a dignified businesswoman and single mother.

Photo by Sam Allard

First Encounters: Merchant of Venice tours until Saturday 16 November, visiting Cornwall (29-30 Oct), Devon (31 Oct), Kent (2 Nov), Yorkshire (5-8 Nov) and Nottingham (15-16 Nov). See the JR listings for info or visit www.rsc.org.uk; and read our five-star review of the show on the JR blog.

In conversation: Stav Meishar

Find out how a wartime story of courage and daring, which saved a dynasty of Jewish circus artists, made it to the stage

Israeli writer, educator and theatre artist Stav Meishar is currently performing her one-woman show, The Escape Act, based on a true wartime survival tale. Speaking to JR's Arts Editor Judi Herman, she explains how she discovered the story of Irene Danner-Storm, a Jewish circus performer who survived World War II thanks to the generosity of non-Jews Adolf and Maria Althoff, who hid her in their circus. Danner-Storm was a member of the Lorch family, a German Jewish circus dynasty founded in the 19th century, and not only survived by joining the Althoff Circus, but found love too. In this podcast, Meishar talks about her research and how the resulting show is now part of a whole Holocaust learning experience, which also includes lectures, workshops and an exhibition. She also reveals how she met up with nonagenarian Momo, the Moroccan acrobat who was inseparable from Danner-Storm and her Christian lover Peter the Clown, in a heartwarming story of inclusivity in defiance of the Nazis.

Photo by Kati Rapia

The Escape Act is currently touring:
Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 October. 8pm. £10. CircusMASH, Birmingham, B14 7RA. www.brownpapertickets.com
Tuesday 29 October. 8pm. £12, £10 concs. The Lowry, Salford, M50 3AZ. https://thelowry.com
Sunday 22 – Thursday 26 December. Limmud Festival, Hilton Birmingham Metropole, B40 1PP. https://limmud.org/festival

In conversation: Howard Jacobson

What's it like to fall in love in your 90s? The award-winning author talks about the nonagenarian lovers in his latest novel

From his loft high over Soho, Man Booker Prize-winning author Howard Jacobson speaks to JR's Arts Editor Judi Herman about his latest novel, Live A Little, which chronicles the joys – and humiliations – of romance in old age. He also reads an extract from the book, as well as discussing his despair at the cynical antics of our prime minister. And don't even mention "the will of the people"…

Photo by Rob Greig

Live a Little by Howard Jacobson is out now, published by Jonathan Cape, £19.99. www.penguin.co.uk

An abridged version of this interview also features in the Oct 2019 issue of JR.

In conversation: Isaac Gryn

The Oklahoma! musical star talks legends, legacies and lassoing

© Johan Persson

Fresh out of drama school, actor Isaac Gryn (pictured centre) is currently starring in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s first hit musical Oklahoma! in the all-singing all-dancing role of Will Parker, rodeo lassoing champ and ardent suitor of flirty Ado Annie, the ‘Girl Who Can’t Say No’. As you might guess from his surname, Isaac is the grandson of the late, great Rabbi Hugo Gryn, Holocaust survivor and for decades the go-to media rabbi, with regular appearances on BBC Radio and deservedly much loved by folk of all faiths and none. Gryn has clearly inherited his grandfather’s warmth and charisma. It comes over in his terrific high energy performance, though whether Rabbi Gryn counted lassoing among his skills remains a secret. Here Gryn speaks to JR’s Arts Editor Judi Herman about the show, its creators and learning to lasso, as well as his faith, family and the legacy of his grandfather.

Oklahoma! runs until Saturday 7 September. 7.30pm, 2.30pm (Wed & Sat only, plus some Thu). £10-£55. Chichester Festival Theatre, West Sussex, PO19 7LY. 01243 781 312. www.cft.org.uk

Read our review of Oklahoma! on the JR blog.

In conversation: James Phillips

Get a behind-the-scenes look at The Rubenstein Kiss courtesy of the playwright

Playwright James Phillips talks to Judi Herman about the award-winning Rubenstein Kiss. Inspired by the haunting true story of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, who were executed in 1953 for allegedly providing atomic secrets to the Soviet Union, Phillips tells their story. The Rubensteins are a deeply devoted Jewish couple, whose Communist idealism leads to their world being torn apart by suspicion and treachery, which then echoes through the generations.

The Rubenstein Kiss runs until Saturday 13 April. 7.30pm, 3pm (Sat & Tue only). £22, £18 concs. Southwark Playhouse, SE1 6BD. 020 7407 0234. http://southwarkplayhouse.co.uk

Read our review of The Rubenstein Kiss on the JR blog.

In conversation: Aaron Gelkoff and Sue Kelvin

Meet two stars from the award-winning musical Caroline, Or Change

Aaron Gelkoff (photo by Craig Topham) and Sue Kelvin

Caroline, Or Change, the multi-award-winning musical by Tony Kushner and Jeanine Tesori, draws on Kushner’s Deep South Jewish childhood to tell its tale of changing times in 60s America. The action takes place at Chanukah in 1962, as shockwaves from the assassination of JFK on 22 November rock America and the world. Aaron Gelkoff plays Noah Gellman, a nine-year-old Jewish boy whose relationship with his family’s black maid Caroline (played by Sharon D Clarke**) consoles him more than his stepmother ever can after the death of his mother. Sue Kelvin plays the doting Grandma, mother of the boy’s bereaved father. Judi Herman caught up with both actors to discuss their preparations for the roles; the experience of black and Jewish minorities in 60s Louisiana and how it chimes with our current uneasy times of racism and antisemitism; and what it takes to be a star in musical theatre today – both upcoming and experienced.

Caroline, Or Change runs until Saturday 6 April. 7.30pm (Mon-Sat), 2.30pm (Thu & Sat only). From £20*. Playhouse Theatre, WC2N 5DE. 084 4871 7631. www.carolineorchange.co.uk

*A limited number of £5 tickets are available to ages 16-25 on the day of performance and in person from the Playhouse Theatre box office. There is also an offer on that allows anyone named Caroline a free ticket when also purchasing another paying ticket. ‘Carolines Go Free’ is an exclusive offer available via the box office in person or by phone.

**Note that Sharon D Clarke will not be appearing on Monday evenings 7 Jan to 1 Mar.

Read our five-star review of Caroline, Or Change on the JR blog.