17 Jun 14 - 10:46 PM (#3634136) Subject: Theodore Bikel's 90th birthday party From: GUEST,Mary Katherine Last night I went to a 90th birthday party for Theodore Bikel, held at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, CA. Lots of celebrities were in attendance, both on and off the stage (Leonard Nimoy! Ed Asner!) and lots of wonderful music was interspersed with speeches telling Theo how much his life and work has meant all these years. Among my favorite musical moments: hearing Cathy Fink singing a masterful, slow, poignant song in Yiddish; hearing Theo Bikel singing with Lorin Sklamberg, and later doing a powerful duet with tenor Alberto Mizrahi; Tom Paxton, less than two weeks after the loss of his wife Midge, singing his heart out, with help from Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer and Fred Sokolow; Arlo Guthrie, who brought a new song his father had started and he had completed; Peter Yarrow, who sang Puff the Magic Dragon at Amy Bikel's request and then led the audience in Light One Candle. And the best was last; at the very end, after the obligatory all-hands-on-deck singalongs of This Land is Your Land and We Shall Overcome, Theo sat alone with his guitar in a single spotlight and sang a moving version of Phil Ochs' beautiful When I'm Gone. It was a great party, and wonderful to get to see so many old friends. |
18 Jun 14 - 12:42 AM (#3634153) Subject: RE: Theodore Bikel's 90th birthday party From: MGM·Lion A great man, and a great singer. So much so that, without wishing to divert attention from his achievements in [what I might call] "our" field, I would point out that he is also a most accomplished actor. He started his career in Israel, where his Austrian family had emigrated after the Anschlüss. I first came across him in London in late 1940s, when my father was editor of the only Yiddish daily paper in England and, under the name of Meier Bikel, he was a Yiddish actor. He presented a season of plays of Jewish interest (in English) at the Embassy Theatre in Swiss Cottage, which of course my father reviwed and my mother & I accompanied him and met Mr Bikel -- and also another excellent, very young, actor in the company called David Kossoff! A few years later, early-1950s, when he was playing the Russian Colonel in Peter Ustinov's The Love of Three Colonels in the West End, Mr Bikel visited my mother's French restaurant in Kensington; between courses of his dinner (or perhaps over his coffee!) he took down a guitar that hung on the wall over his head, and played and sang to thunderous applause of the whole place ~~ the first time I became aware of this other so strong string to his bow. He won't of course remember having once met a 22-y-o me all those years ago; but Happy Birthday to him -- and Many Happy Returns! ~Michael (82)~ |
18 Jun 14 - 01:46 PM (#3634345) Subject: RE: Theodore Bikel's 90th birthday party From: Don Firth In the memoir I'm endeavoring to write, I cover some of the notable singers of folk songs who performed in Seattle during the Century 21 Seattle World's Fair in 1962. This often included an opportunity, one way or another, to meet and spend a little time with the visiting performer. This was how about a half-dozen local folk music buffs had a chance to meet and chat with Theodore Bikel. The next performer was singer, actor, and Renaissance man Theodore Bikel, fresh from a long run as Captain von Trapp in the original cast of the Broadway production of "The Sound of Music." He sang to a capacity crowd in the Opera House. Like his records, particular his live concert record, "Bravo Bikel," he sang songs in many languages, often humorously introduced, and with brief sub-titles when needed. He mentioned that it was nice to be out doing concerts again, having recently escaped from nightly performances "with twenty nuns and seven children."The new Opera House seated 3,100 people. The nearby Playhouse seated 800. Richard Dyer-Bennet opted to do three concerts in the playhouse rather than one concert in the Opera House. Bikel was a thoroughly charming, knowledgeable man, and nice to just sit and chat with. As, for that matter, was Richard Dyer-Bennet. Don Firth |
18 Jun 14 - 02:07 PM (#3634353) Subject: RE: Theodore Bikel's 90th birthday party From: Elmore Bikel (and the Pennywhistlers) opened up the world of international folk music for me. I was pleased to see him give a strong, memorable performance at the Freight and Salvage a year or so ago. I wish him and Aimee all the best. |
20 Jun 14 - 09:23 PM (#3635150) Subject: RE: Theodore Bikel's 90th birthday party From: ChanteyLass The party sounds wonderful. How lucky you were to be able to attend. Happy 90th, Theo! |
20 Jun 14 - 09:47 PM (#3635161) Subject: RE: Theodore Bikel's 90th birthday party From: Mrrzy Wow! |