Josh Kornbluth to Debut One Man Show at CJM 1/10

Josh Kornbluth, the renowned playwright, performer and former host of KQED TV's "The Josh Kornbluth Show," will debut his new one-man show, Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews?, at the Contemporary Jewish Museum on January 10, 2009. An icon of Bay Area performance, Kornbluth based his show on the Contemporary Jewish Museum's exhibition Warhol's Jews: Ten Portraits Reconsidered (on view through January 25, 2009). The show offers a humorous and penetrating take on the ten cultural luminaries like Albert Einstein, George Gershwin, Golda Meir, the Marx Brothers, and Gertrude Stein painted by Andy Warhol in his 1980 series of portraits of ten famous Jews of the twentieth century. Ten Portraits of Jews of the Twentieth Century. Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews? is also an investigation into the nature of contemporary identity, the complex texture of modern Jewish life, and the limits of biographical categories in an era of constant artistic and personal reinvention. After each performance, Kornbluth will interview an expert on one of the historical figures in the exhibition, as well as engage in a "talk-back" with the audience. The show will highlight Kornbluth's rigorous and irreverent mix of autobiography, music, philosophy and improvisation.

"We are thrilled to partner with Josh Kornbluth and to host the world premiere of his one-man show, which reflects the Museum's mission of presenting contemporary perspectives on Jewish culture and ideas," stated Museum Director and CEO Connie Wolf. "Josh's performance promises to engage and entertain while raising important questions on issues of identity, the arts, and contemporary life."

Josh Kornbluth is the author and performer of the celebrated monologues Love & Taxes, Ben Franklin: Unplugged and Citizen Josh, among others. The Washington Post called Ben Franklin: Unplugged a "poignant and penetrating father-son saga that completes a trilogy that deserves to stand with the best of the Jewish father-son sagas in our theatre." In 2001, Kornbluth, along with his brother Jacob Kornbluth, made the movie Haiku Tunnel, about which The Los Angeles Times wrote: "A sly and captivating comedy of imaginative leaps and gently orchestrated pandemonium. . .Kornbluth can make anything killingly funny." From 2006 to 2008 he hosted the weekly KQED-TV program "The Josh Kornbluth Show," interviewing such figures as Annie Leibovitz, Alan Alda, Helen Mirren and Michael Tilson Thomas.

Andy Warhol: Good for the Jews? is being produced by Jonathan Reinis and designed by Alex Nichols.

Education programs related to Warhol's Jews: Ten Portraits Reconsidered are generously supported by the Jim Joseph Foundation.

Photo courtesy of http://joshkornbluth.com/

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