Who What and Where: The Lost Daughter, St Albans exhibition, RBG auction
Our weekly roundup of what to look out for in arts, entertainment and all things life!
REVIEW: Reel opinion
Very soon we will be bringing the Jewish News view on movies, theatres and all things entertaining, so you know how to line up your streaming and not to waste your money on a production that is worth bupkes (Yiddish for very little).
Our intention is to signpost what you might have missed while getting through The Handmaid’s Tale and, right now, that would be Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter.
Making her debut as a director with a film lead by Olivia Colman was a sharp move for the Jewish actress, who also picked Oliver Jackson-Cohen (son of designer Betty and her Jewish-Egyptian husband, David) to be the sun chair attendant, who we hope is the love interest, but isn’t.
Shot on a pretend Greek island that is actually Spetses, Jewish mothers who kvetch about their kids, but stay put will want to slap Colman’s character and then book a holiday in the Aegean.
With all the pretentions of a French film, it keeps you hooked, leaves you hanging and is a woman-only watch, so it gets five fish balls.
Theatre: Border force
Israel, Lebanon and Berlin play important roles in Borders, a risqué play written by Nimrod Danishman, that is opening in London in a couple of weeks. Boaz and George meet on Grindr. One is in Israel, the other in Lebanon.
The distance, the ‘enemy’, and the experience of being gay in another culture entice them to try to meet up in Berlin, but the border between their home countries heats up, and they’re forced to make difficult decisions. Israeli Neta Gracewell directs this award-winning play, which was inspired by a real encounter.
“What makes Borders really special for me is that it takes a topic that is usually treated with a lot of thinking and intellect, and instead approaches it with heart and feeling and emotions,” explains Yaniv Yafe, who plays Boaz.
Borders is at the Drayton Arms Theatre, London, from 15 to 17 February, draytonarmstheatre.co.uk
Exhibition: City of Jews
City of stars may have more of a ring to it, but St Albans is where you will find the Jews who wanted a bit more countryside with a dash of Roman history. On 4 February, a new exhibition, Arriving & Belonging, arrives at the St Albans Museum + Gallery and it focuses on the story of how Jewish people arrived in the Herts town and made their home there.
Personal objects and family photographs bring these stories to life and you can explore the timeline of Jewish life by taking a virtual stroll around the city to see where the Jewish community settled and how its members contributed to the wider community.
Arriving & Belonging runs from 4 February to 15 May. Entry is free. www.stalbansmuseums.org.uk
Valentine’s Day: Isn’t she romantic?
Intent on inspiring women to burn her candles and follow her skincare regime, retired Jewish actress turned goop.com guru Gwyneth Paltrow has launched her spring collection for her brand G Label.
With her Chang Sherpa fleece poncho coming in at £682, the “luxurious wardrobe essentials” modelled by the svelte star are even pricey for the St John’s Wood set. The Maverick jeans will “carry you through the current skinny-jean moratorium”, and if the £278 price tag fazes then take a look in the Valentine’s section for the perfect candle gift for engaged couples. For £70, it comes with the addendum – “also good for burning legal documents”.
Auction: A lot of legacy
The late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg remains a cult figure in the US, where her face appears on all manner of collectibles.
Such is the regard for her intellect that Bonhams knew an auction of her personal library – law school textbooks to celebrity memoirs – would bring in aspirational bidders, some of whom were of the faith and wanted such titles as Rabin: Our Life, His Legacy, written and inscribed by Leah Rabin, wife of the assassinated Israeli prime minister, and It Takes a Dream: The Story of Hadassah by Marlin Levin. For the women who wear the shirts, the bidding was money well spent.
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