Arts in Brief: July 12

Yohji Yamamoto exhibit opens in Holon

Last Wednesday night, the Design Museum Holon unveiled the new solo exhibit of legendary Japanese fashion icon Yohji Yamamoto. For over 40 years, Yamamoto has been praised as an innovator, trendsetter and avant-garde visionary in both men’s and women’s wear. His collaborations have included projects with Adidas, Hermes and choreographer Pina Bausch, who Yamamoto named his one and only muse. Masao Nihei, who incorporated the various spaces of Ron Arad’s building, created the installation of this exhibit. Though Yamamoto is known for his affinity for black fabrics, this presentation of his work boasts many splashes of vibrant color.

Though Yamamoto was meant to attend the celebratory opening of his show, he was unable to travel to Israel. In his place, the CEO of Yamamoto’s company Y and several other key figures from Yamamoto’s staff were present. Yamamoto is expected to visit Holon during the coming months. This exhibit is part of the festivities surrounding the sixtieth anniversary of warm relations between Japan and Israel.

The exhibit will run through mid October. For more information, visit www.dmh.org.il.

• Ori J. Lenkinski

Free opera in the park

The popular summer opera event returns as the Israeli Opera brings Verdi’s Rigoletto to the park for a free open-air performance. The production will be performed before an audience of more than 60,000 people, so plan to arrive early.

Concert takes place on July 19 at Ganei Yehoshua, Tel Aviv.

Gates open at 7:30 p.m; concert starts at 9 p.m.

• Jerusalem Post Staff Magic

Tales Fest at Suzanne Dellal

August means the annual Magical Tales festival at the Suzanne Dellal Dance Center at Tel Aviv’s Neve Zedek in memory of Yaron Yerushalmi. This year’s takes place from August 13-15. For those not buying tickets to the shows, there’s plenty of free activities (4:30 to 8:30 p.m.) on the plaza, including a show every afternoon from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on the main stage.

This year’s offerings encompass dance, puppet, object and straightforward theater, as well as klezmer, or Jewish music, and storytelling for the very little ones.

The shows include Thumbelina, a dance theater piece from the Mofa theater and the Kibbutz Dance Company, the Goshen Theater offers The Emperor’s Nightingale as well as klezmer, there’s puppets from Jerusalem’s Train Theater and from the Orna Porat Children and Youth Theater comes Mr.

Simon’s Shoes, a story on the old and the new, and Rikdina’s Heart in which an old queen seeks a prince for her daughter.

Ticket prices range from NS 35 – 65.

• Helen Kaye

Jerusalem race for gold

The Bible Lands Museum, in cooperation with the Jerusalem municipality and the JDA invites families to enter the “Race for Gold.” Participants will receive a script, based on an ancient scroll discovered at the Qumran site, with riddles and hints guiding them through the city in search of clues solving the puzzle.

The 50 fastest teams will compete at the final challenge at the Museum, to win an ounce of pure gold (first prize) and many more prizes and surprises along the route for all participants.

The script is suited for families and children, in English or Hebrew.

The “Race” takes place today at 9 a.m. An entry kit for a family/team (up to 6 persons) costs 65 NIS, and also includes visiting the Bible Lands Museum. (Registration is required). During the race participants will have a free pass to Citypass trains.

• Jerusalem Post Staff

O’Toole to retire from stage, screen

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Veteran British actor Peter O’Toole, praised for esteemed roles in classic films such as Lawrence of Arabia, announced on Tuesday he is retiring from acting in films and on stage.

“It is time for me to chuck in the sponge. To retire from films and stage. The heart for it has gone out of me: it won’t come back,” O’Toole, who is 79 and lives in London, said in a statement released by New York publicist Bill Augustin.

O’Toole said that his career, which has included eight Academy Award nominations without a win, “has brought me public support, emotional fulfillment and material comfort.

It has brought me together with fine people, good companions with whom I’ve shared the inevitable lot of all actors: flops and hits.”

“However,” he added, “it’s my belief that one should decide for oneself when it is time to end one’s stay.”

O’Toole said he is now spending his time working on the third volume of his memoirs. The film website imdb.com listed O’Toole as co-starring in the upcoming British film Katherine of Alexandria.

O’Toole finished the statement by saying, “I bid the profession a dry-eyed and profoundly grateful farewell.”

Englander takes short story prize

Jewish-American author Nathan Englander won the 2012 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award.

The award, for his short story collection What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank, garnered Englander a $30,000 prize. The collection of stories won out over collections by Israeli writer Etgar Keret, as well as Sarah Hall and Kevin Barry.

The prize is funded by the city of Cork in Ireland.

Englander teamed up this year with Jewish-American author Jonathan Safran Foer to publish the New American Haggadah, a more modern take on the traditional Passover Haggadah.

• JTA