North Shore Towers Theater Presents:
“Heading Home: The Tale of Team Israel”
North Shore Towers residents
BY ROBERTA GRAFF
If Cole Porter were alive today,
he couldn’t come up with a
more appropriate title. Porter,
who died in 1964 and wasn’t
prescient was, however, one of
America’s greatest lyricists. He
spent years creating dozens of
clever and catchy songs to ever
appear on the New York stage.
The York Theatre Company
recently presented its 25th year of
“Musicals in Mufti,” musical gems
that might easily fade into theatrical
history and the “Decline and Fall”
was a treasure. Originally created
Alex Katz talks
by Ben Bagley, it was staged, like
all other performances, as a concert
performance. Although Bagley
and Cole Porter never met, Bagley
adapted the Porter songs into
a revue in which he originally
Harry and Anna Stampfel with Alex Katz
Alex Katz and Howie Stein Sharyn Chanin and Alex Katz
directed starring Tammy Grimes
and took on a national tour.
The cast at the York--Danny
Gardner, Lauren Molina, Diane
Phelan and Lee Roy Reams--was
superb, and due to the small sized
theater, there is not a less than perfect
seat in the house. This cabaret/
venue was exceptionally successful
and the performance at the York
Theatre was as well.
Musical theater buffs, as well as
those simply looking for a wonderful
way to see outstanding performances,
would do well to contact
the York Theatre. The theater is
located at 619 Lexington Avenue
in Manhattan. Call 212-935-5820
or go to yorktheatre.org for more
information.
were treated to a
unique movie experience
on September 28 when “Heading
Home: The Tale of Team Israel”
played in the Towers theater.
Current Team Israel player Alex
Katz was on hand to chat with
the audience and took a moment
to pose with Malverne Theater
owners Harry and Anna Stampfel
and North Shore Towers’ theater
manager Howie Simon. Also
attending was Sharyn Chanin,
whose cousin is Jeremy Bleich, a
member of 2017’s Team Israel and
is in the film. Photos by Dawn
Steinberg
ABOUT “HEADING HOME: THE
TALE OF TEAM ISRAEL”
This 2018 documentary recounts
the true “David and Goliath” story
of Team Israel competing for the
first time in the World Baseball
Classic. The team had had years
of devastating defeats until it finally
reached the highest rankings of
baseball in 2017. Nevertheless, their
reputation preceded them as they
headed to Israel and ultimately to
the big tournament in South Korea.
The team’s roster includes many
Jewish-American major league
players who discovered a deep
connection to Israel which elevated
them to unexpected heights.
The Los Angeles Times wrote,
“Throughout their trek, from being
labeled has-beens and wannabes
to being hailed as ‘The Oys of
Summer,’ Team Israel’s professional
and spiritual homecoming makes
for buoyant viewing.” Multiple
award winner, including Best
Documentary of 2018 at the Gold
Coast International Film Festival.
The Decline and Fall
of the Entire World
40 NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER ¢ November 2019
/yorktheatre.org