Go deep "Into the Woods" with David Benkof
Plus: Philip Roth, West Side Story, Debbie Friedman, Cabaret
Note: all classes are at Noon EDT.
There are still sign-ups left for Thursday’s class on Into the Woods. Sondheim’s masterpiece is so rich in lyric and score that we have plenty to explore, but theme is also rather important in the show. I actually disagree with Sondheim’s claim that the moral of the story is cooperation. Come to class and I’ll explain why, and what justifies my chutzpah. Register: tinyurl.com/WestWoods.
Monday’s class covers Philip Roth’s “The Conversion of the Jews.” Ozzie Freedman’s rabbi blows off his theological questions, so Ozzie figures out a way to convert him to Christianity. All in the space of 20 pages. What? Yeah. You can read the short story at tinyurl.com/PhilipRoth101A or listen to it read by Elliott Gould at tinyurl.com/PhilipRoth101C. Register: tinyurl.com/BenkofShortFiction.
The rest of the July schedule is also posted above, with highlights including Into the Woods; American Jewish History 101; American Jewish Literature 101; Debbie Friedman; and “If You Could See Cabaret Through My Eyes.”
Monday original classes in August will make a five-part “Funny Jews” series, ad Monday original classes in September will be “The Novels of Philip Roth.” If you want to start reading Roth novels for the class (it’s not required), start with any of Portnoy’s Complaint, The Human Stain, and Nemesis.
Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here: tinyurl.com/BenkofChannel. You’ll find dozens of American Jewish culture videos, including a four-minute video about Simon & Garfunkel’s “The Sounds of Silence” and a 45-minute lecture on the three Jews of Philip Roth.
I’m booking Zoom talks for individual organizations, and eventually in-person classes. Here’s a demonstration of my in-person teaching and this one-minute intro shows how Jewish Culture 101 works.
Useful links: (all classes Noon EDT):
• Thursday, July 9: Into the Woods
• Monday, July 13: “The Conversion of the Jews” by Philip Roth
• Thursday, July 16: West Side Story
• Monday, July 20: American Jewish History 101
• Thursday, July 23: Debbie Friedman 101
• Monday, July 27: American Jewish Literature 101
• Thursday, July 30: “If You Could See Cabaret Through My Eyes”
All classes are 100% free, but there’s a completely optional tuition of $6 per class, or $5 per class when you pay tuition for a series.