Real-life dramas

Jerusalem Post, Billboard; February 24, 2006

Do you ever wish for a life worthy of its own stage play and musical score? Well, even if you don't, the traveling ensemble of the Playback Theater in Tel Aviv will act out scenes from your past as if they are the stuff of art.

Last month, for example, at a "Playback Theater Playlife" performance at the cozy Simta Theater in Jaffa, a man in the audience related how his St. Bernard once won a dog show despite having had a messy, smelly "accident" hours before. The actors, all dressed in black and using only colorful fabrics as props, spontaneously dramatized the event, with a red-headed actress starring as the dog. A pianist heightened the humor with a playful, improvised score.

But Playback Theater usually specializes in more serious life turns - courtships, break-ups or family tensions - and as members of the audience share and watch meaningful, personal life struggles on stage, they learn more about themselves and others. This week, "Playback Playlife" will be performing in Tel Aviv on themes related to Family Day and International Women's Day.

"When actors listen and play out a story, the teller feels listened to, acknowledged and honored. It's very therapeutic. There is a catharsis," says Aviva Apel, manager of Playback Theater. She is also what is called a "conductor" of "Playlife" performances, since the traditional director has no role in such interactive work.

As "conductor," she chooses people from the audience and gets them to open up. The entertainment value and depth of the stories, however, depend on how interesting the chosen audience members are.

But Apel repeats: "We not an entertainment troupe. If people are just looking for fun, that's not our agenda."

In a more serious vignette, another woman from the audience related how the FBI forcefully took her and her daughter off a plane in New York to interrogate them after the attacks of September 11. "It took me back," said the teller of the performance.

But these public "Playlife" performances occur only about twice a month. The major work of Playback takes place in municipalities, schools, private institutions, communities and medical centers as an interactive alternative to formal lectures on sensitive topics. Hi-tech companies and other corporations hire Playback to open lines of communication among employees, to help them adapt to change, to improve customer service, to express concerns, and to create a sense of community.

"It gives people new ways of looking at things and ideas," says Nurit Shoshan, director of marketing and herself a Playback actress and conductor.

Sometimes they perform at life celebrations such as birthdays or bar mitzvas, to imbue important family milestones with meaning; it's "entertainment with an added value," says Apel.

The concept of this alternative theater originated in New York in 1975, when Jonathan Fox and his wife were looking for ways in which theater could have more of a social impact. Since then, Playback has grown into a worldwide organization with affiliates in over 30 countries. Apel, who worked as a professional actress in Israeli theater before getting involved with Playback, imported the concept to Tel Aviv in 1991.

Currently, the Tel Aviv ensemble consists of eight actors and two musicians, and they require a different set of skills than traditional actors - they are good improvisers, team players, non- judgmental listeners and, in a certain sense, altruists.

The ensemble will be performing for the public on themes related to Family Day and International Women's day at the Simta Theater in Jaffa on February 25, 9 p.m. and at Beit Tammi in Tel Aviv on March 2 at 8:30 p.m. For tickets, call (054) 428-7449 or (054) 595-8433.

Breakfast Club: the dance-bar (review)

Jerusalem Post, Billboard; Friday, February 17, 2006

It's hard to know whether or not Breakfast Club was named after the John Hughes' 1980s coming-of-age cult classic starring Molly Ringwald and Emilio Esteves. One of the owners, a bartender with lots of colorful tattoos on his arms and who resembles the Judd Nelson character, said Breakfast (the shorthand name used by Israelis) doesn't care for or want publicity. In any case, the loud tracks of the DJ made conversation too difficult.

Perhaps this exclusivity is what makes Breakfast one of Tel Aviv's hot spots - a place where the city's 'brat pack' can feel at home. This dance-bar is as 'Tel Aviv' as they come - it boasts a good-looking crowd of trendy locals who like to smoke and pretend they live in Europe; the regular 'celeb' clientele; esoteric electronic music blasting through the speakers; and snobby selection. The owners' arrogant air demonstrates that when it comes to nightlife, they're the branja - the underground clique you can hear about only by being in the right circles. It is notorious for filling up only around 2 a.m.

The dance bar is underground, literally, so claustrophobics beware. Once you pass selection (which according to the selector is based on seniority and not beauty - yeah right), stairs lead you down to a black basement with a mini dance floor surrounded by tables and dark enclaves which are perfect for making out - not an uncommon site at Breakfast.

There is hardly any lighting on the dance floor; rather, the club is illuminated by black and white flix screened on a string of television sets hanging over the long bar at the end of the club. Black and white pix of historical figures plaster the walls behind the bar, as if to suggest that they are part of the exclusive Breakfast crowd.

But while it has its fair share of poza, Breakfast also has a loose, fun-loving, 'anything goes' vibe, where you can get plastered and dance without care, make out with more than one person in the same night, and pick up or be picked up without too many questions asked. After all, it's just a place to have some rebellious fun, just like the teens did during their infamous day in detention in the movie of the same name.

Rothschild 6
Music: Electronic genres and sub-genres
Hours: Usually from midnight
No cover