N.Y. comic launches Chutzpah!

Avi Hoffman turns out to be too Jewish, but that's OK with audiences.

Vaudeville came back from the dead at the opening of the second annual Chutzpah! festival Saturday night. Avi Hoffman elicited gales of laughter with his one-person show Too Jewish? A Mensch and his Musical at the Norman Rothstein Theatre.

Hoffman told the story of how he was born in a small shtetl called the Bronx, and grew up thinking that everyone in the world spoke Yiddish. Later, when he was more mature, he assumed all Jews lived in the Bronx.

In fact, he remains shocked to find Jews everywhere in his travels. On an Alaska cruise, Hoffman said, he stumbled upon a Judaica shop in Ketchikan and was informed by the proprietor that there is a significant Jewish community in the northernmost state or, as the shopkeeper calls them, the Frozen Chosen.

Hoffman's premise is that it is tough to be a Jewish comedian steeped in Yiddish culture and not risk the ever-present aspersion "Too Jewish." He took the "insult" and has turned it around, unapologetically incorporating into his show extreme examples of Yiddishkeit, such as gribenes - a Jewish "health" food created by deep frying chicken skin in chicken fat.

The evening was a mix of Yiddish, English and *Yinglish: a composite of the two.
There were lessons in his performance as well, with a whole riff discussing the original names of famous performers, whose names were deemed ... too Jewish.

And there was the predictable mix of straight, stand-up comedy, though he insisted most of his stories are true, such as the case of his grandmother's prescription.

The old woman went to the doctor complaining that she was wracked with constant nervousness, so the doctor prescribed Valium. When Hoffman watched her put one of the tablets on his grandfather's dinner plate, he called her on it, asking why she was giving the pill to him when the doctor prescribed the pills to her.

"Because he's the one that makes me nervous," the bubbe said.
"My grandfather was catatonic," stated Hoffman. "My grandmother slept like a baby."

Hoffman uses his excellent singing voice to parody popular music. Since the theme was "too Jewish," he speculated on the change in popular culture if Jewish composers had been less inclined to downplay their own culture. His Judaic version of "Oklahoma!," the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic, became "Oy, Glaucoma!"

There were, of course, plenty of food jokes. He noted that Jews tend to be light eaters. "If it's light outside, I eat."

Despite the madcap nature of the performance, Hoffman has a rare knack of turning from humor to seriousness, without making the audience uncomfortable. He spoke movingly of a trip to Europe, where he met a whole group of young people who, mostly due to family secrets, had only discovered their Jewishness recently. He repeated the words of Mark Twain, who admired the resolve of the Jewish people throughout history and he spoke of the outweighted influence the small group of stiff-necked people. Then he wondered, in recalling a trip to the death camps on that same European trip, how different the world would be had those six million Jews - and their descendents - been allowed to contribute to the world.

- Pat Johnson

Chutzpah! The Lisa Nemetz Showcase of Jewish Performing Arts continues until March 17. In the last of a three-part series, the Bulletin looks at the events in the program's final week.

Meet the performers

Join Chutzpah! for a lively and informative discussion with some of the artists taking part in the festival. Bring your questions and your comments to the Zack Gallery, March 3, 4 p.m. Admission is free.

A little night music

Pianist and composer Robert Silverman performs a program that features a little night music from his classical repertoire, including Brahms's Rhapsodies, Beethoven's Waldstein Sonata, Chopin's Andante Spianato and Grande Polonaise, and Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. Silverman's recital is March 4, 8 p.m., in the Norman Rothstein Theatre. Tickets are $15.

Multicultural music

East meets West as the Orchid Ensemble combines the texture of the marimba with the beauty of the zheng (Chinese zither) and the splendor of the erhu (Chinese violin). This show explores how Jewish music, both secular and sacred, was affected by and influenced other music after the Jews settled in China in the eighth and ninth centuries. Featuring Lan Tung (erhu), Mei Han (zheng) and Jonathan Bernard (marimba and percussion) with guests Mike Braverman (woodwind) and Jason Ovary (percussion), the Orchid Ensemble plays March 7, 8 p.m., in the Norman Rothstein Theatre. Tickets are $15.

How not to break up

Leah and Paul, For Example is an intimate and explosive look at the rise and fall of a modern relationship. Performed by Anna Chatterton and Chad Hershler, Leah and Paul is an adaptation of Matt Cohen's translation of a Monique Proulx short story. It played at the 2001 Fringe Festival and the acting of Chatterton and Hershler is tremendous. The way they interpret, through dance, their first sexual encounter, is worth the ticket price alone. The co-directors, Kyla Morrison and Adrian Norman, deserve much credit.

The Chutzpah! performance runs on the Second Stage March 7, at 7:30 p.m., March 9, at 6 p.m., and March 10, at 3 p.m. Tickets are $10.

An African memento

Two former South Africans merge music, dance and storytelling to explore their memories of the contradictory and perplexing society of that country before and after the end of apartheid. Their stories and songs refer to worlds that are quickly disappearing, if not already lost, and embrace diverse communities.
Drawing on their Jewish roots and their experiences in the larger society, Jo-Ann Pezarro and Cecil Hershler share impressions of a unique place and time with their audience. The show combines the musical theatre talent of Pezarro with Hershler's storytelling, and the two are joined by an ensemble of three musicians: Wendy B. Stuart (piano, guitar), Ron Stelting (percussion) and Jessica Stuart (bass, guitar).

The RNB Dancers, under the direction of choreographer Astrid Sherman, make an appearance in this WRS Productions and Pezarro/Frese/ Hershler co-production. Consulting director is Simon Isherwood.

Shongololo: An Afri-can Memento premières at the 2002 Chutzpah! festival March 9, 8 p.m., in the Norman Rothstein Theatre. Tickets are $20.

Improv at the festival

Take four professional actors, throw them into a rehearsal space, give them a theme to work with and, voila, instant theatre. Well, not that instant, in that they do rehearse it for 34 hours over five days before you get to see it.

Featuring Toby Berner, Tara Cheyenne and Daniel Mate, Chutzpah! LIVE! is a semi-improvisational series of skits that promises to be entertaining. These actors performed at the Fringe Festival and put together an energetic, often hilarious, performance centred around the theme of travel. There's every reason to expect a similarly enjoyable show at Chutzpah! March 9, at 7:30 p.m., and March 10, at 6 p.m., on the Second Stage. Performances are $10 and rehearsals are free and open to the public. The rehearsal schedule is posted on the theatre notice board.

Looking for laughs?

Head to the Comedy Cabaret for some really big fun with stand-up comedians who will entertain, delight, shock and surprise. You can also have a drink or two and a bite to eat. The line-up includes Amy Buckwell, David Granirer, Barry Greenfeld, Nathan Fielder, Frannie Sheridan and Danny Woodburn. The cabaret is on March 9, 10 p.m., on the Second Stage. Tickets are $15.

Sex in Yiddish stories

Michael Wex takes audiences through a series of linked stories in the comedic performance Sex in Yiddish: An Introduction for Speakers of English.
Wex's one-person show contains a diverse range of offerings. He performed excerpts of it at the 10th Annual Vancouver Storytelling Festival, spicing up that literary event.

For Chutzpah!, Wex weaves his narrative in the auditorium March 10, at 1 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Something for kids Juno Award-winning stars of YTV's hit daily TV series, Judy and David bring the magic and fun of their sing-along show to Chutzpah! Performing interactive music and songs that both parents and children can enjoy, Judy and David have been dubbed Canada's "hottest children's entertainers" by the media.

Sponsored by Joe and Rosalie Segal, partial proceeds of the Judy and David - Boombox show benefit the Jewish Community Centre of Greater Vancouver's early education programs. The show takes place March 10, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Tickets are $10.

Jazzing up Rothstein

Jazz at the J features Steve Hancoff and the Saul Berson Quartet.
Hancoff, a steel string guitar legend, has performed all over the United States, as well as in more than 30 countries. He transcribes the music of legendary American composers like Jelly-Roll Morton and Duke Ellington, transforming traditional jazz into virtuosic guitar solos.

The Saul Berson Quartet is Saul Berson (alto sax), Kim Darwin (accordian), Paul Blaney (bass) and Tony Wilson (guitar). They incorporate elements of klezmer, tango, bebop and Middle Eastern grooves in their music. Their Chutzpah! performance will feature works from their most recent CD.

Jazz at the J is in the Norman Rothstein Theatre March 10, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $10.

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