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The Young Thespians of the Lerner Clan Play Together and Stay Together
By Pat Launer
We could all learn from the Lerners. This is a family of talent, drive,
passion and chutzpah. Mom (Pamela) was a professional ballet dancer. So
that gives her a leg up in dealing with three gifted performing kids –
all music and theater pros. Jessica, age 16; Zev, 13 and Ari, 10 have
performed onstage, on film and on TV.
They all made their theatrical debuts before age 5 – Jessica in
a talent show, Zev and Ari in Jessica’s Del Mar Fair show. For the
past eight years, she’s put together an hour-long entertainment:
she plays keyboard and sings her own songs, the boys do their Blues Brothers
impersonation and their show-stopper, Aerosmith’s “Dude Looks
Like a Lady,” and they end with a rousing rendition of Sister Sledge’s
“We Are Family.” It’s called The Lerner Family Tour.
Mom sews costumes that the kids design, applies their makeup and choreographs
the numbers. “It’s quite a collective, fun process,”
says Jessica, who was only 8 when she first put together a show and took
it on tour -- to 40 local nursing homes.
Despite their high-profile experience, they are incredibly nice kids who
get along well and are totally non-competitive. They’re proud of
each other’s accomplishments, and they really enjoy performing together.
Their parents never pushed, nor did they push each other. “I got
inspired by them,” Ari says of his older sibs. “It’s
not like Omigod! I’m suffering every day. I get ‘You look
like your brother’ a lot. I think of it as a compliment.”
Referring to a provocatively titled play he performed in last year at
6th @ Penn Theatre, Adam Baum and the Jew Movie, Zev says “I like
theater when it’s controversial; it makes you think.” He played
a Bar Mitzvah boy, which is the role he’s now assuming in real life,
preparing for his Big Day on October 21. Meanwhile, this summer, Jessica
and Ari will appear in Starlight Theatre’s Jesus Christ Superstar
(July 13-23) and in The Wizard of Oz (August 10-20). Zev’s on hiatus
while he studies his haftorah, which happens to be the same portion Jessica
sang three years ago, so she’ll be his tutor/coach.
Last year, the three Lerners appeared together in Starlight’s production
of Oliver, which made shuttling to rehearsals a lot easier on Pamela,
who calls herself a ‘Show-fer.” She typically spends more
than two hours a day on the road. “It’s a little too hectic,”
Jessica says sympathetically.
Zev’s favorite musical production was The Scarlet Pimpernel, because
he and Ari were allowed to pull the guillotine on each other, while Mom
took pictures. One of Ari’s most memorable moments was in 2001,
when he broke his right arm, requiring surgery a few days before the opening
of A Christmas Carol at the San Diego Repertory Theatre. So, his Tiny
Tim had more than a lame leg; he had a sling to match his costume. “He
was a really sad, pitiful Tiny Tim,” quips Jessica, who has enjoyed
singing the National Anthem for the San Diego Padres at Qualcomm Stadium
(five times, starting when she was 8) and for Magic John and his All-Star
Basketball team at the Sports Arena. But she really relishes “the
artistic freedom” of performing her own music, mostly pop songs;
she’s currently working on a demo CD.
Jessica will be a senior at the Coronado School of the Arts, where she’s
majoring in Musical Theater. Ari and Zev will attend Coronado Middle School
(one in 6th grade, one in 8th) in the fall; in 9th grade, they’ll
move to the Coronado School of the Arts.
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What Jessica likes about the school is, “you get pilates, jazz,
tap, music, theater history – all the stuff that makes you a smart
actor.” All three do well in school, especially in math, though
it isn’t anyone’s favorite subject. But they also skateboard
(Zev and Ari), play electric guitar (Zev, taught by Dad, Sam, a chiropractor)
and piano (Jessica’s been playing since age 8).
Sam stays in touch with the theater world by attending performances
and working chiropractically on many folks from the Globe. Pamela, who
obtained a classical ballet degree from the North Carolina School of the
Arts, knows how not to be a typical stage mother; she is very familiar
with “how to act backstage without getting in the way.” During
auditions, she encourages her kids to act their age, not to try to be
adults. Though no one likes auditions, the Lerners take them philosophically.
Says Zev, “If you’re willing to get the role, you also have
to be willing to not get it.” “It’s an ego-check,”
adds Jessica. “It reminds you you’re not perfect for everything,
and you’re not going to be.”
You might wonder, with their heavy rehearsal and performance schedule,
how their classmates react. “Other kids think it’s really
cool,” says Zev. “They always ask me questions: ‘Who’s
in your show? How much do you make?’ I’m popular because if
they Google me, my headshot is up there. It’s a big deal.”
Jessica admits that “sometimes my friends get mad at me for not
being able to hang out with them.”
The money the kids earn goes directly into their savings accounts for
college. They don’t get allowances, but they all say they get what
they need. Pam and Jessica happily share clothes, and so do the boys.
And they’re all content with simple Bar Mitzvah or
Sweet Sixteen celebrations. They don’t watch a lot of TV, don’t
play many video games or hang out on MySpace.
The house rule is that they can’t see a movie until they’ve
read the book. “When I read a good book,” says Jessica, I
make my mother read it so we can talk about it.” Her most recent
recommendation was “My Brother Sam is Dead,” about the Revolutionary
War. Zev has a penchant for science fiction; Ari says he’s “pretty
much into realistic fiction set in recent times.”
They all take their stagework seriously, and that helps them get through
a long-running show without becoming lazy, complacent or stale. Jessica
describes the necessary mindset: “You walk in, and you have a job
to do. It’s not just fun; it’s work-time.”
So, given their impressive pasts, what do they see for their futures?
For Jessica and Ari, it’s definitely a life in the theater. Zev
isn’t quite so sure. “I’ve heard it’s not very
stable, job-wise,” he says sensibly. “60% of me thinks I’ll
probably be doing something in the arts, but maybe more as a hobby. I
might get involved with something to do with science.” In the meantime,
besides his Bar Mitzvah prep, Zev is gearing up for his first kiss –
in an independent film, “Grasshopper.” “Zev is NBK –
Never Been Kissed,” Jessica teases. He takes it well, blushes and
smiles.
The Lerners don’t have outside coaches, tutors, music, dance or
acting teachers. They turn to their mother, who guides them, gives them
tips and honest feedback, uses her own experience and her “creative
mind.” And she attends every performance. As Jessica puts it, “She
wouldn’t really want to be doing anything else.” It’s
all in the family. A
[The Lerner Family Tour will be at the San Diego County Fair on Sat. July
1, 5:30pm on the O’Brien Stage and Tues. July 4, 7pm on the Plaza
Stage].
For feedback, contact editor@sdjewishjournal.com.
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