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English-speaking fans of late iconic Israeli playwright Hanoch Levin will have an opportunity to enjoy one of Levin’s trademarks.

By BARRY DAVIS
Hanoch levin 370 (photo credit: Gadi Dagon)
Hanoch levin 370
(photo credit: Gadi Dagon)
LEVIN IN ENGLISH
English-speaking fans of late iconic Israeli playwright Hanoch Levin will have an opportunity to enjoy one of Levin’s trademark close-to-thebone works, Yakish & Poopche, at the Gesher Theater in Jaffa, this Tuesday at 8:30 p.m. The new production is directed by Yevgeny Aryeh and has English subtitles. The performance will be followed by a conversation with Gesher general director Lena Kreindlin and drinks with the actors.
The darkly comic play is based on the story of the two lonely eponymous characters who are destitute and downright ugly. Financial and aesthetic woes notwithstanding, both are desperate to find a partner – but this proves to be a lost cause. As a last resort they marry each other, but consummating the union also proves to be a challenge. That obstacle is eventually successful navigated, and the two are able to live unhappily ever after.
Aryeh uses the play to explore the clown-like tendency of laughing instead of crying, and what he calls “gloomy comedy.” He takes the view that the world is as absurd as a circus and just as colorful, even though there doesn’t seem much cause for hope.
For tickets and more information: (03) 515-7000 and www.gesher-theatre.co.il
VOCAL IN ABU GHOSH
The biannual Abu Ghosh Vocal Music Festival will take place from September 25 to 29.
The 42nd edition of the event includes its usual eclectic sonic offering, with three ensembles making the trip here from abroad: the Sirventes – Virtuoso Singers Ensemble from Berlin; popular Estonian instrumental 10-piece ensemble Hortus Musicus, led by Andres Mustonen; and the Berlin Vocal Quintet.
The concerts feed off a wide-ranging repertoire, including 16th-century Spanish, Basque and Andalusian songs, compositions by 17th-century German organist Heinrich Schutz, 18th-century Peruvian works performed by the Phoenix Vocal Ensemble under the direction of viola da gamba player Myrna Herzog, and Scottish folk songs, works by 20th-century British composers Benjamin Britten and Edward Elgar, and Beatles hits.
For tickets and more information: (02) 623-7000 and *6226, www.bimot.co.il and www.agfestival.co.il
REGIONAL POLITICAL GARBAGE
The YTheater Project Jerusalem company will put on a performance of Take Away at Tzavta in Tel Aviv on September 20 (1:15 p.m.). The play tells the story of a bunch of Palestinians and Israelis who share their lives, and fates, in a garbage dump located on a sacred hill.
The comedy-drama feeds off some of the core reasons for the regional conflict, and addresses greed, fear and betrayal as the dump inhabitants struggle to share the same patch.
The work was devised by Bonna Devora Haberman and Kadar Herini.
For tickets and more information: 052-249-4079 and www.ytheater.org
MEDITERRANEAN JEWELS
The Yael Shkedi Jewelry Workshop group will open its “Jewelry for the Mediterranean Sea” exhibition at the Ramat Aviv Shopping Mall on September 29. The show will run until October 31.
The exhibition, which is curated by Galit Reshef, incorporates around 100 items of jewelry that were all inspired by Mediterranean architecture. The creations by the workshop graduates include elements that were informed by local color, textures and building motifs.
The jewelry will be exhibited alongside the Little Tel Aviv cement tiles, which are based on the dominant architectural style of 1930s Tel Aviv.
GETTING DOWN TO THE BUSINESS WIRE
Sigal Melinger’s latest solo exhibition, “Business Wire,” is currently on show at Warehouse 2 at Jaffa Port.
The collection of paintings and sculptures references urban landscapes and a range of human situations based on everyday life situations. The paintings comprise delicate clean lines with strong colors, and incorporate a mix of techniques, including drawing, printing and acrylic paint applied to canvas.
For more information: (03) 683-2255 and www.sigalmelinger.com