<HTML><HEAD></HEAD>
<BODY dir=ltr>
<DIV dir=ltr>
<DIV style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000">
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"
align=center><B style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Beck Center
saves ‘Spitfire Grill’ from itself</FONT></FONT></SPAN></B></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"
align=center><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Bob Abelman</FONT></FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"
align=center><I style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Cleveland Jewish News, The News Herald,
The Morning Journal</FONT></FONT></SPAN></I><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"
align=center><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Member, International Association of
Theatre Critics</FONT></FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal
style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal; tab-stops: 1.0in 5.25in"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN lang=EN style="FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-ansi-language: en"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Some musicals have an impressive literary pedigree.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>The Tony Award-winning “Cats” is based
on the </FONT></SPAN><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ">whimsical verse of poet T.S. Eliot.<SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>“</SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ">South Pacific” is an adaptation of </SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">James A. Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning
novel.</FONT><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> </FONT></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">“The
Spitfire Grill,” on stage at the Beck Center for the Arts, seems inspired by
Hallmark.</FONT><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">Every
sentiment in this show has a song with a greeting card title and temperament
absconded from the “condolence” and “inspiration” racks, including “When Hope
Goes,” “Come Alive Again” and “Shine.”</FONT><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">
</FONT></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">And every
song is written with the same kind of wholesome, emotion-laden prose solely
intended to pull at a heart-string or give voice to those private<SPAN
style="COLOR: "><FONT color=#252525> moments in our lives or serve up a
plain-spoken and highly digestible truth</FONT></SPAN>.</FONT><SPAN
style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">
</FONT></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">The lyrics
are accompanied by the resonating sound of string instruments only – a keyboard,
violin, cello and guitar – just in case the words alone don’t bring you to tears
or inspire a post-show phone call to a neglected loved
one.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: "><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">In truth,
“The Spitfire Grill” is based on <SPAN style="COLOR: "><FONT color=#1d1d1b>a
1996 film </FONT></SPAN></FONT></SPAN><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
color=#252525>written by Lee David Zlotoff – a film that critic Roger Ebert
described as “u</FONT></SPAN></FONT><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: "><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" color=#1d1d1b>nabashedly manipulative,” which it is, and
others have likened to “Fried Green Tomatoes” and “Steel
Magnolias.”</FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: "><FONT face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"
color=#1d1d1b></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
color=#252525><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">The movie served as the basis for
the 2001 Off-Broadway musical production of the same name with music and lyrics
by </FONT></FONT></SPAN><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: "><FONT color=#1d1d1b>James Valcq and Fred
Alley.<SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </SPAN>Though
</FONT></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
color=#252525><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">short-lived, that production was
better able to tap the poignancy embedded in the material than the film ever
could. </FONT><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"> </FONT></SPAN></FONT></SPAN></FONT></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"
color=#252525></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt" color=#252525>The current Beck Center
rendition, which is really quite lovely under director William Roudebush’s
artistic vision, does so even more.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face=Arial><FONT style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"
color=#252525></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
face="Times New Roman"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt; LINE-HEIGHT: normal"><FONT
face=Arial><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">For more of this review, go to </FONT></SPAN><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
color=#0563c1>www.clevelandjewishnews.com/columnists/</FONT></SPAN></FONT><SPAN
style='FONT-FAMILY: ; COLOR: ; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"'><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">.</FONT><SPAN style="mso-spacerun: yes"><FONT
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt">
</FONT></SPAN></SPAN></FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BODY></HTML>