Arts in Brief

Kool and the Gang go back to school; K’s Choice on the comeback trail; Sprinzak and Jones sound each other out.

By DAVID BRINN, BARRY DAVIS, HELEN KAYE
K's Choice 311 (photo credit: Frank clauwers)
K's Choice 311
(photo credit: Frank clauwers)
Kool and the Gang go back to school
Jerusalem’s Student Day celebrations on May 11 are going back in time a few decades by hosting funk/soul old-timers Kool and the Gang and Spin Doctors’ vocalist Chris Barron in their Israeli debuts.
The R&B veterans had their heyday in the 1970s and ’80s but are still touring the world, getting crowds to sing hits like “Celebration.”
Barron, who led the popular ’80s pop band, which hit it big with “Two Princes,” will be performing with Monica Sex.
In another pairing at the Independence Park show, Ivri Lider will host Shlomi Saranga.
More information on the show is available at www.aguda.org.il    
David Brinn
K’s Choice on the comeback trail
Belgian indie pop band K’s Choice will be returning to Israel for a show at the Barby club on May 19.
Led by sister/brother team Sarah and Gert Bettens, the band achieved moderate success in the 1990s with their melodic sound. On their first trip to Israel over a decade ago, they opened up for Garbage.
In 2003, the band went on an indefinite hiatus, but the last couple years has seen them reform for an album and tours.     
David Brinn
Sprinzak and Jones sound each other out
This weekend, experimental musicians Josef Sprinzak and Jean-Claude Jones will join forces to put on Sprinzak’s new sound event and launch his “Rabbim Omrim Ken” (Many Say Yes) project at El Dan House in Ein Kerem, Jerusalem.
The material is based on Bertolt Brecht’s plays He Said Yes and He Said No, which comprise a single story with an alternative ending. The new rendition by Sprinzak incorporates a range of technical sound elements alongside original music, radio and theatrical materials. The main theme of Many Say Yes is the universal idea of the individual’s willingness, or lack thereof, to intentionally sacrifice himself or herself for the benefit of society in general.
The music for Many Say Yes was written by Yarden Erez, with sound design and effects provided by Yariv Kuris and Sprinzak.
The concert program also includes three other slots: “Ha’olam Agol” (The World is Round), in which Jones and Sprinzak play a duet based on texts by Gertrude Stein, “Mikraot Yisrael” (Scriptures of Israel), which examines the connection between conquering the land and the language, and “Shvil Ha’esh” (Path of Fire), a sound work by Kuris which incorporates digital sound and samples.
The event will takes place at the Daniela Passal Art and Media Center on Friday and Saturday night. Tickets are NIS 20. For more information: www.mamuta.org.
Barry Davis
Russian opera hits Tel Aviv
Moscow’s Stanislavsky Opera makes its debut visit to Israel with Prokofiev’s fizzy comic opera Betrothal in the Monastery. It concerns two sets of young lovers who want to outwit (what else?) their papas’ designs to have the girls marry money, no matter how old or ugly. It’s based on Richard Sheridan’s play The Duenna.
Betrothal was supposed to premiere in 1941, but the Nazi invasion of Russia stopped that, and it eventually premiered to great acclaim at Leningrad’s Kirov in 1946.
A guest of the Israel Opera, Betrothal will run for 6 performances at the Tel Aviv Performing Arts Center starting May 8.    
Helen Kaye
The Fringe prizes announced
Israel’s Fringe has announced the nominees in 13 categories for thisyear’s Golden Hedgehog prizes. The awards ceremony will be held at TelAviv’s Tmuna Theater on May 7.
Fringe theaters are thoseoperating outside the country’s repertory establishment. Most areindependent. Some, like Tmuna, are also umbrella organizationsaffording a venue for struggling young artists.
One of theplays competing for Play of the Year is Metuko’sHouse, which won Acre at Succot. Some of the plays were alsoseen at Theaternetto last year, such as Orpheus in theMetro, whose director, Igor Berzin, is up for Best Director.Since this is fringe, there are also prizes awarded for concept and forensemble work.    
Jerusalem Post staff