Q4 2024

Zion National Park, October '24

I attended a Quaker school from elementary through high school, and throughout my time there administrators liked to begin letters to students, parents, and faculty with the greeting “Dear friends,”. 

Occasionally the greeting was followed by news such as: “We are saddened to inform you that a recent expulsion has occurred. This former student, is, regrettably, no longer a friend.” 

If you don't unsubscribe, I'll assume you’re still a friend. 

For those who are new, welcome to the second installment of Noah’s Culture Quarterly, where I make recommendations and keep you updated on my own work. 

Noah Schoenberg at Helium Comedy Club, Oct '24

So, Dear Friends:

My personal website is under construction.

Many thanks to my friend, Tribe 12 Fellowship alum, and talented drone videographer Dave Freedman for building my website. He has his own company, Elevated Film Productions. Should you have any video related projects, I highly recommend his services.

The photograph above is from my first stand up comedy set, recorded at Helium Comedy Club. The 5-minute set served as my showcase performance, following a class I took at Helium in October.

A big thank you to my instructor Chip Chantry, an accomplished Phila-based comedian whose latest special is available to watch on YouTube.

Barbara Stanwyck and S.Z. Sakall, photo via Google Images

Only the best will do for the holiday season, so we're recommending a classic: Christmas in Connecticut.

Barbara Stanwyck — who is brilliant — drives the story of Christmas in Connecticut in the role of Elizabeth Lane. According to her byline, Mrs. Lane is a food writer for Smart Housekeeping Magazine who resides on her Connecticut farm with her husband and infant, and is dubbed “America’s Best Cook”.

Except: Ms. Lane has never made a meal in her life, lives in an apartment in New York, is single, and doesn't have children.

A fun setup for hijinks.

And they do ensue, though no spoilers to follow.

Once the action kicks off in earnest, the piece unfolds a lot like a stage play adapted for film might (though it isn’t). It probably looks that way because Christmas in Connecticut is a farce — a staple comedic genre in theatre — and takes place largely on a single compound, with entrances and exits that feel very stage-like.

Publishing magnate and owner of Smart Housekeeping, Alexander Yardley, is played by the indomitable Sydney Greenstreet . Enough praise cannot be heaped upon this ample gentleman.

Prevailing wisdom is that S.Z Sakall steals every scene that he’s in, which wisdom I’ll concede. Sakall plays Stanwyck’s uncle Felix, a restaurant owner who is also the secret genius behind her recipes and the reason she was able to concoct and then maintain her professional charade.

Uncle Felix was born and raised in Budapest. I wouldn’t say the Hungarians are famous for their cuisine, but Sakall makes the unlikely believable.

When Yardley demands that Ms. Lane host and prepare Christmas dinner at her farm for both himself and a Naval war hero (confidently portrayed by Dennis Morgan), the character she’s invented for the magazine must urgently and convincingly come to life.

The resulting chaos doesn’t disappoint.

There are plenty of laughs throughout from Stanwyck, Greenstreet, and Sakall especially.

I also want to mention Una O’Connor, who turns in a hilarious and memorable performance as an Irish maid. Her moments opposite Sakall are particularly enjoyable.

I imagine the conversations between Sakall and O’Connor are about what you get when Hungarian and Irish diplomats collide at the UN. Lots of debating goulash vs stew.

Alongside the comedy, there are lovely moments oozing Christmas spirit that warmly draw you in.

Fun for the whole family.

Ellen Barkin and Al Pacino, photo via IMDB

Next up, a quality and under appreciated cop movie from the late 80s more notable for its compelling characters than precise plotting: Sea of Love.

Full disclosure: this one is seedy and spicy.

Al Pacino plays bitter and boozy, but effective, NYPD Detective Frank Keller who tracks a serial killer across the City.

Sea of Love is uplifted, as any film would be, by John Goodman playing a fellow detective who teams up with Pacino to hunt the perpetrator. The dynamic between the two men, especially early on, is great fun.

But it’s Ellen Barkin’s contributions -- as a single mother who gets entangled in the investigation -- and her chemistry with Pacino that makes this movie stand out.

Keep an ear out for the smooth and lonely brass soundtrack that stewards us through the film.

And don't miss a small cameo from the great Samuel L. Jackson in an inventive early scene.

Not suitable for children.

Drexel University Undergraduate Students, photo Drexel University

I recently attended a production of a play entitled The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, performed at Drexel University. The show was directed by my friend and creative collaborator, Esther Cohen.

Esther is in her first year as an adjunct theatre professor at Drexel and this was her collegiate directorial premiere. A big congratulations to Esther, and the whole cast and crew. In particular, I thought the students did exceptionally well with their British accents.

On the musical front, rising star Jacob Agar released his cover and music video of Bob Dylan's Girl From the North Country, which cover will serve as the single for Jacob's forthcoming album Mirage of Permanence.

Jacob is currently the Cantor of Beth Sholom Synagogue in Elkins Park. Some of Jacob's beautiful cantorial work can be heard on his YouTube Page, with some additional tracks on his Spotify profile.

Jacob hails originally from Azerbaijan, so he's eccentric. That's probably why we get along.

Why present these two artists together?

Esther directed a reading of my play, Lev of Leningrad, at the Weitzman Museum in April '23, for which reading Jacob composed an original score and sang live.

The photograph at the top of this newsletter is one my dear wife Colleen took when we visited Zion National Park in October of this year. There are some truly stunning sections of the park — its biblically inspired name is well earned. It looks like the sort of place dinosaurs would have once roamed, had dinosaurs really existed.

If you’d like to send me comments or your own recommendations, you can do so using the link below.

I encourage you to forward this newsletter to anyone you think may be interested; they can sign up for NCQ by contacting me via the link below.

Most importantly if you're a Phila creative with upcoming work, reach out to me.

Wishing you a Happy Chanukah, very Merry Christmas, and successful start to the New Year.

Thank you for reading.

We'll see you in 2025.