OK, Lounge, I am going to do this.

[DFW]

I spent all morning on the phone with Air France, the hotel's reservation desk, my wife, Dr. Ruth
and Theo Bikel, and I'm staying for this thing (see the other post if that is too cryptic--I'm too
lazy to type it all again), and I've extended my stay in America until Tuesday afternoon.

Theo has invited me and my daughter backstage after the show to hang with the performers, and I am
already floating at the thought of hanging with Tom Paxton and Arlo Guthrie. This is gonna cost me
a fortune and probably a heart attack as well because I now have to compress four days of work into
two next week, and cloning hasn't been perfected yet.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. ALL RIGHT!

I am so happy to hear this!

It IS a once in a lifetime chance, and you will NOT regret it!

Take pictures, OK?

I want to see you and your daughter hanging with Tom Paxton and Arlo Guthrie!

Have a blast!

:woohoo: :woohoo:

[DFW]

2. I don't have a camera with me!!!!

Remember, I wasn't expecting this when I left Germany. This was to be a routine visit. I'll get my daughter to bring hers, and if hers isn't working, I'll go out and buy a new one!! Like you said--a once in a lifetime event......

[CaliforniaPeggy]

3. Those are good thoughts!

All you need is a little point and shoot, and those work wonderfully!

God I'm thrilled...

Is this going to be televised?

I rarely watch television, but if this is on tonight, I just might make an exception...;)

[Haole Girl]

7. Fuji makes a great disposable camera

:-)

[Rhiannon12866]

21. I thought of that too...

Great idea! :D

[NJmaverick]

4. Have fun!

:party:

[Tuesday Afternoon]

5. Enjoy!

:toast:

[jeff30997]

9. Hum...I think there's a sentence he didn't finish:

"I've extended my stay in America until Tuesday afternoon..." Until you do what? :P

[Tuesday Afternoon]

12. gets Tom Paxton and Arlo Guthrie's autographs.................

:)

[jeff30997]

14. Lol!

:)

[DFW]

17. Well, until I go back to Germany!

Besides, my wife and I have tix to see the Eagles in Köln Wednesday night, so if I'm not
back in Düsseldorf by Wednesday morning, I get to learn about divorce proceedings in German
(no not really, but I've never seen the Eagles live, so I don't want to miss it either. On
top of that, I have a work appointment in France Thursday morning that can't be postponed.

Is there such a thing as part-time cloning?

[Haole Girl]

6. Have fun. Don't worry about work until you have to.

:hi:

[AwakeAtLast]

8. So happy you decided to stay!

I love Tom Paxton - have a great time!

:hi:

[ThomCat]

10. I hope you have a wonderful time and this is an experience of a lifetime.

:)

I hope you can go home raving about what a wonderful choice this was. :hug:

[quakerboy]

11. Enjoy yourself

take the float while its there, eh.

[DeepBlueC]

13. :::::::::: ~YAY~ ::::::::::

Good going, DFW!! I would love to hear about it afterwards. And if you have a camera phone backstage....

:toast:

[nuxvomica]

15. Tell Mr. Bickel that DUers wish him a happy birthday

And try to relax a little, DFW. No one looks back on his life and wishes he had spent more time at work. :D

[DFW]

18. Good point, there

I should pay a little more attention to it!

Theo would have no idea who DU is, but I'll tell him a lot of friends he doesn't know wish him well!

[Blue Diadem]

16. That's really good news and sounds like you're in for a good time.

Tell Mr. Bikel Happy Birthday from us.

Enjoy!

[Shell Beau]

19. Good for you!! Enjoy!

[Rhiannon12866]

20. I think you made the right decision.

You'll get caught up on your work, things will return to normal with your family, but this will be something you'll always remember. And it'll mean a lot to your friends and be a wonderful memory for your daughter. Have a great time and give my best to Arlo Guthrie. I saw him in concert back in the late '60s when I was in my early teens, my second concert ever, on a double bill with Judy Collins. It was terrific! :D

[SeattleGirl]

22. Yay!

I think that's great, DFW!!

[merh]

23. Hooray! I am so glad you are staying

and am so glad your daughter gets to experience this with you.

I'd be floating too - I'm happy for you and jealous all at the same time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kMc9Xw4-eoM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ZkUXcKJ0s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etUq7IY_7Mc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uz4_25-Ovac

wow - just wow - what a night you will have.

:toast:

[DFW]

24. There are many other performers as well

I don't recognize them, but my brother-in-law did. He says I'm in for quite a show.

I would have been happy to hang with Theo and sing Russian songs again in a corner,
but this is apparently going to be quite a production. I'll report back when it's over!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

25. Is it going to be televised?

I'd like to see it if it is!

:hi:

[DFW]

27. I haven't the faintest idea!

But this is for an 85 year old guy who is not an MTV star, and is doing it for
an unspectacular good cause, so I doubt it.

[merh]

26. Please do -

I can't wait to read about the night. I'm excited for you, almost as excited if I were going to be there. :woohoo:

Hell, that you and your wife spent the night singing Russian folk songs with Mr Bikel, what a gift, what a memory - how I am jealous.

June 15, 2009
Theo Bikel celebration, NYC, 15 Jun 2009


Theo Bikel
Broadway and Jewish folk music legend Theodore Bikel to be saluted at Carnegie Hall

“Theodore Bikel: The First 85 Years” – Broadway a legend Theodore Bikel, a lifelong social justice advocate, will celebrate a rich career devoted to art and activism with a star-studded 85th birthday benefit concert at Carnegie Hall. All proceeds will go to the Juvenile Law Center.

Confirmed performers to-date include: Theodore Bikel, Alan Alda, Arlo Guthrie, Rosemary Harris, David Amram, Beyond the Pale, Artie Butler, Patricia Conolly, Judy Kaye, David Krakauer, Tom Paxton, Serendipity 4 (Shura Lipovsky, Merima Kljuco, Tamara Brooks, and Theodore Bikel), Noel Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow, Susan Werner, Michael Wex.

7:30pm Monday, June 15, 2009
Carnegie Hall, Stern Auditorium/Perelman Stage, 57th Street and Seventh Avenue, New York City

Tickets range from $30 to $500
www.jlc.org./bikel
-----
EXTENDED BODY:
BROADWAY AND FOLK LEGEND THEODORE BIKEL CELEBRATES A LIFE OF ART & ACTIVISM WITH AN 85th BIRTHDAY CONCERT AT CARNEGIE HALL

June 15th concert to benefit Juvenile Law Center; tickets go on sale April 16th

www.jlc.org/bikel

New York (April 16th) – Broadway and folk legend Theodore Bikel, a lifelong social justice advocate, will celebrate a rich career devoted to art and activism with a star-studded 85th birthday benefit concert at Carnegie Hall on Monday, June 15, 2009.

The concert will benefit Juvenile Law Center (www.jlc.org), the pioneering, non-profit law firm dedicated to protecting the rights and well-being of children in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Bikel will be joined by Alan Alda, Arlo Guthrie, Rosemary Harris, David Amram, Beyond the Pale, Artie Butler, Patricia Conolly, Judy Kaye, David Krakauer, Tom Paxton, Serendipity 4 (Shura Lipovsky, Merima Kljuco, Tamara Brooks, and Theodore Bikel), Noel Paul Stookey and Peter Yarrow, Susan Werner, and Michael Wex. Honorary committee co-chairs for the event include Barbara Cook, Frank Langella, Pete Seeger, John C. Whitehead, and Elie Wiesel.

Bikel made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1956 and went on to forge an extraordinary career as a musician, actor and activist. His stage and screen credits include such classic films as The African Queen and The Defiant Ones and the 1959 Broadway premiere of The Sound of Music, in which he originated the role of Captain Von Trapp. He has performed the role of Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof more than 2,000 times and is currently starring in a national tour of Sholom Aleichem: Laughter through Tears.

A leading light in the folk-music scene of the 1960s, Bikel was a co-founder of the Newport Folk Festival and has been a powerful advocate for peace, human rights, and social justice for more than five decades – from the civil rights movements in the United States to apartheid in South Africa to promoting peace and religious pluralism among Israel and its neighbors.

“Throughout my life I have been equally passionate about music and social justice, and have allied myself with others whose use guitars, banjos, fiddles and words to conquer fear and injustice,” said Bikel. “I can think of no better way to celebrate that life than a night of music with some of my nearest and dearest friends, and no more deserving cause than protecting the rights of our nation’s most vulnerable children.”

All proceeds from the concert will go to Juvenile Law Center, which works to protect children’s rights and interests in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems. Juvenile Law Center, which provides legal services at no cost to its clients, is currently heading litigation in the Luzerne County, Pennsylvania judges scandal, a court corruption case that has made international news as one of the most egregious violations of children's rights in U.S. legal history. The organization’s work on the case was recently covered by 20/20 (http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7194700), the New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/28/us/28judges.html?_r=2), and People magazine.

“Theodore Bikel was at the forefront of the social justice movement that led to the creation of organizations like Juvenile Law Center, and we’re awed and honored that he chose to turn his 85th birthday celebration into an incredible gift for us,” said Robert Schwartz, Executive Director of Juvenile Law Center. “Theo is not only helping to promote the rights of people around the world, but also providing a true inspiration the vulnerable children who seek justice and protection.”

Tickets go on sale April 16th and range from $30 to $500. A pre concert VIP reception for performers to mingle with sponsors, major donors, and box seat ticket holders will be held in the Rohatyn Room at Carnegie Hall.

more at http://www.klezmershack.com/calendar/2009_06_15.php

[DFW]

28. I did buy a box seat, so I'll try to get into the reception

Another mutual friend is going, and she is taking us.

My wife doesn't speak Russian, but she likes Russian music. Theo speaks Russian, of course. He'll
tell you that he speaks 35 languages, 16 of which are Yiddish. I don't know any Yiddish, so I have
no way of testing him on it LOL! But his Russian is still pretty good. When he spoke his lines in
"The Russians Are Coming, The Russians Are Coming," he knew exactly what he was saying (as opposed
to Alan Arkin, who memorized the syllables, although admirably).

The article correctly describes him as a legend, at least in my opinion.

[merh]

29. Oh, that's why I posted it and why I am so jazzed for you

He is a legend, he is a social justice advocate who has done more for people than just preach a message and talk about civil rights. His life has been a life lead with music and purpose. He has had a remarkable life, what a friend to have.

[DFW]

30. Check my post on the event

I met a few other legends there as well! Typical Theo and Tamara--check out for whom the benefit was!

[merh]

31. Rushing to to find it now, thanks so much

:woohoo: