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Message: If you are having trouble reading this email, you may view this article online at: http://www.jweekly.com/25398/full/25398/a-legend-returns/ A legend returns Friday, March 11, 2005 | by dan pine More than 2000 times, Theodore Bikel has donned the milkman's cap and took the stage to star in "Fiddler on the Roof." For many, Bikel is Tevye. But the famed singer/actor is much more than that. Over a career that spans nearly 60 years, Bikel is the living embodiment of Jewish music. Which makes it only natural that he will headline this year's Jewish Music Festival on Sunday, March 20, at Congregation Emanu-El in San Francisco. Accompanying Bikel will be pianist Hankus Netsky, founder and director of the Klezmer Conservatory Band. "Hank is arguably the finest exponent of klezmer music," says Bikel in a phone interview from his Los Angeles home. "When it comes to that type of music, nobody knows more than he does. I'm looking forward to doing things I haven't done before." It's Bikel's first time performing at the Jewish Music Festival. In addition to the concert, the next day both Bikel and Netsky will participate in a forum on music in contemporary Jewish culture. It's a topic with which Bikel is uniquely familiar, considering he has long been one of the world's great exponents of Jewish music. "It will be about tradition, old and new," he says of the panel discussion. "We will see if Yiddish is a dying breed or something revivable. I say it's very much alive. I go to Krakow [Poland] and I spend half the day speaking Yiddish with young people." Bikel turns 81 this year, but aside from the full head of silver hair, it's hard to tell. He remains as youthful and excited about music as ever. Now that he's earned gray eminence status, Bikel serves as mentor to younger artists in the Jewish music world, even the non-Jewish ones. "It constantly amazes me how good these musicians are," he says. "They speak no Yiddish but do klezmer to perfection. I discovered in the 1950s people in Greenwich Village who never held a pitchfork yet who do bluegrass perfectly. The imagination is invariably stronger than geography." For many Jews who grew up in the '50s and '60s, the music of Bikel was a household staple. His mix of Hebrew, Yiddish and English was part of the folk revolution of the era, though with a decidedly Jewish twist. He was also a familiar face in film and television. His acting credits include an Oscar-nominated role in "The Defiant Ones," and others such as "My Fair Lady" and the 1951 classic "The African Queen," in which as the Nazi ship captain he utters the immortal words: "I now pronounce you man and wife. Proceed with the execution." On stage, in addition to his many performances of "Fiddler," he created the role of Baron Von Trapp in the original Broadway production of "Sound of Music." He remains a busy actor. Upcoming, Bikel reprises the stage role of Rabbi Moses ben Nachman in "The Disputation." As a social activist Bikel has served as president of the Actors' Equity Association (1973-82), as a board member of Amnesty International (USA) and as a member of the National Council on the Arts. He also formerly held the position of senior vice president of the American Jewish Congress. Though he is convinced of music's power to bring people together, Bikel acknowledges the dreary state of world affairs these days. "These are scary times," he says. "There is an erosion of tranquility, a nervousness that translates into fear. But I never lose hope." Perhaps that explains his enduring popularity with audiences around the world. So how does Bikel view his own legacy? He's too busy to think about it. "Other people have to think of legacies," he says. "I'm merely engaged in the process of creating what I can." Theodore Bikel performs with pianist Hankus Netsky 4 p.m. Sunday, March 20, at Congregation Emanu-El, 2 Lake St., S.F. Tickets: $25-$50. Information: (415) 276-1511 or <a href="http://www.brjcc.org">www.brjcc.org</a>. Both artists will participate in the forum "From Fiddler on the Roof to Beatbox in the 'Hood: Music in Contemporary Jewish Culture," 7:30 p.m. Monday, March 21, at the Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, 300 California St. Tickets: $10-$15. JEWISH MUSIC FESTIVAL RELATED STORIES: <a href="/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/25232/format/html/displaystory.html">After 20 years, Jewish Music Festival is on the map as a 'major cultural resource'</a> <a href="/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/25233/format/html/displaystory.html">Diversity brings artistic alchemy to festival</a> <a href="/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/25235/format/html/displaystory.html">Jewish Music Festival Schedule</a>

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