Who, What & Where: Thoroughly modern music and My Unorthodox Life
Julie and Julia, The Tinder Swindler, Faberge, and a movie musical fit for a king
Louisa Walters is Features Editor at the Jewish News and specialises in food and travel writing
Thoroughly modern music
When Julie Andrews started singing in Yiddish at a Jewish wedding in Thoroughly Modern Millie, we could’ve named the segment ‘Tales of the Unexpected.’ American singer Shana Farr is celebrating the songbook of Andrews at The Pheasantry next month, bringing to life the story of a young English star who became America’s sweetheart and influenced the great songwriters of Broadway and Hollywood. Inspired by the rich collection of lyrics and melodies that have become synonymous with Andrews, this will be an evening of songs that represent not only great American standards by Rodgers and Hammerstein, Lerner and Loewe, the Gershwins and the Sherman Brothers, but also beautiful numbers by Henry Mancini, Arthur Schwartz, Jimmy van Heusen, Noël Coward and more.
Whistling Away the Dark – the Songbook of Julie Andrews is at The Pheasantry on the Kings Road, Chelsea, as part of Pizza Express Live on 4 & 5 March.
Dating disaster
Anyone still looking for love after Valentine’s Day may be tempted to increase their swipe right activity, but Shimon Hayut (alias Simon Leviev, pictured up top)) may find his hit rate somewhat diminished now that millions of people have seen a Netflix documentary about his crimes. The Tinder Swindler is a dramatic account of the shocking story about the young Israeli Casanova who wined and dined Scandinavian women, proclaiming his love and commitment before convincing them to give him money he said he needed to escape his ‘enemies’. A handful of victims linked up with each other and Norwegian journalists to reveal his scam, which amounted to a Ponzi scheme as he stole from one woman to support a lavish lifestyle with the next. Hayut, whose father was the chief rabbi of El Al, was arrested in Greece and returned to Israel, where he was wanted on years-old fraud charges. He was sentenced to 15 months in prison, but served only five before being released early during the pandemic. Not everything that Israeli media has reported about Hayut made it into the documentary, such as the fact that he reportedly posed as a medical professional to jump Israel’s coronavirus vaccine queue, or allegations that his father had helped him flee the country previously and may even have participated in his fraud schemes. Hayut is now living as a free man in Israel, and seemingly has a new Israeli girlfriend. We still think it might be best to lock up your daughters. A companion podcast, The Making of a Swindler, explores Hayut’s business associates, and his upbringing as the son of a rabbi in Bnei Brak, the largely Orthodox city near Tel Aviv.
From Russia with love
Julius Alexander Rappoport was born Isak Abramovich in Kovno, Lithuania, in 1851. He was a skilled silversmith and, after opening a workshop in St Petersburg in 1883, moved to Moscow to become a Fabergé workmaster. Trained in Berlin, he was one of Fabergé’s rare craftsmen of Jewish origin and from 1886 until 1908 was one of the four main leaders of Fabergé workshops, specialising in large silver objects. He is best known for his naturalistic animal figures, but he also executed special commissions for the Imperial Family. Rappoport’s work is among 200 stunning pieces on display at the Fabergé exhibition at the V&A. The exhibition also includes a display of the legendary Imperial Easter Eggs, several of which are being shown in the UK for the first time. Carl Faberge’s only branch outside of Russia opened in London in 1903 and the works were as popular in Britain as they were in Russia.
Fabergé in London: Romance to revolution is at the V&A until 8 May.
www.vam.ac.uk
Beautiful news
Having won our hearts in the West End and on Broadway, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical is heading to the big screen. Sony Pictures announced plans to turn it into a film, which shouldn’t prove too difficult as Sony owns the musical rights to most of the songs in the show. “Audiences have responded to Beautiful not only to relive Carole King’s timeless classics, but to experience the ways they illustrate her triumphant and joyful life story,” says Sony Pictures exec Michael De Luca. No cast decisions have been made, although Tom Hanks will co-produce. King and songwriting partner Gerry Goffin penned The Drifters’ Up On the Roof and Aretha Franklin’s (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman. The musical also delves into tracks from King’s solo career such as Tapestry’s So Far Away and I Feel the Earth Move.
Change of Haart
In the first season of Netflix’s My Unorthodox Life, Julia Haart had a loving husband, a thriving career and a family that seemed to deftly navigate varying levels of Jewish observance. Filming has just started on season two and it all seems to have gone horribly wrong. Julia has been fired from Elite World Group, the fashion company where she became co-CEO in 2019, filed for divorce from her husband of two years, co-CEO Silvio Scaglia Haart and, alleging abuse, has sought a restraining order against him. “I hate Shabbos and I don’t want it in my house,” Scaglia Haart said, according to Haart’s petition. Julia’s children, who range from 15 to 28, were born while she lived in an Orthodox Jewish community. Notably absent from season two will be Ben Weinstein, husband of elder daughter Batsheva. The couple announced their split in November, saying their marriage at a young age, reflecting their community norms, had been a strain. Younger daughter Miriam, 22, appears to be luckier in love. She revealed last July she was in a relationship with a Swedish woman named Nathalie Ulander. Lots of changes afoot, but Netflix promises the show will feature all our favourite F-words: “fashion, family, female empowerment, faith, fabulousness”.
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