Proving once again he was capable of much more than playing Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy delighted audiences as Fagin in this 1972 production of OLIVER! (his first of three Melody Top appearances). Reading his impressive biography, it is easy to understand why his career has lasted over 60 years and earned him the title of a true “Renaissance man.” In addition to his legendary television work, he appeared on stage in both plays and musicals, acted in movies, taught drama school, directed fellow actors, recorded several albums, wrote two autobiographies and always practiced his love of photography. (…)

(Published in the Milwaukee Sentinel, Friday, May 26, 1972)

In the final week before a production opens, the Melody Top spins with activity.

Compared with the seven days preceding this summer’s staging of OLIVER!, for example, the off-season flurry of preparations will seem like slow motion.

The OLIVER! that unfolds on August 1, opening night, will represent just 40 hours of intensive rehearsal. The spin begins slowly with the Milwaukee arrival of the production’s star, Leonard Nimoy.

On the evening of July 25, Nimoy arrives, meets with reporters and goes over his script. At 10:00 the next morning (Tuesday) the first rehearsal begins.

(…) It’s Sunday, July 30. Besides his rehearsals, Nimoy has been interviewed twice, appeared on television once and has been photographed at least three times.

OLIVER! cast keeps Nimoy on his toes

By Jay Joslyn, the Milwaukee Sentinel, Wednesday, August 2, 1972

While his performance failed to have the out-of-this-world quality of Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy at the Melody Top Theatre Tuesday night created a wonderfully warm and friendly portrayal of the master crime teacher Fagin.

The agile, lithe Nimoy, as good as he is, has to keep on his toes to stay on top of the production of Lionel Bart's OLIVER! director Stuart Bishop has put together.

With a cunning gang of 14 small fry and a cast that matches the youngsters' exuberance, OLIVER! whirled colorfully through its musical orbit.

Alan Crofoot, bulging in his scarlet beadle suit, could have served as a model for Cruikshank's illustrations for Charles Dickens' autobiographical novel and the Canadian singer fills the tent resplendently with his voice.

Young Kurt Ida, who will be a senior at James Madison High School next year, brings great charm and energy to the show-stealing role of the Artful Dodger.

The capable Dick Ensslen returns as the consummate villain Bill Sikes and the comely Jane Coleman wrings hearts as the hapless Nancy.

Donald Yap and his orchestra, which contains some of the city's foremost musicians, for this show realize Bart's score beautifully. Yap also has done wonders with the gang of ruffians who sing like veritable angels.

There is some room left for a modicum of nitpicking.

Eric Head again has created a multilevel, movable set that gives the stage dizzy capabilities. Happily, this Head contrivance has enough holes in it to open fields of vision.

In some kind of attempt to achieve a different atmosphere, Bishop has allowed his actors to paint their faces in a most distracting manner.

Nevertheless, the show's pluses quite outweigh the few minuses and it is well worth the record gross OLIVER! piled up for opening night.

"A charming photograph, originally published in the Milwaukee Journal, of Leonard Nimoy (Fagin) rehearsing a scene with Kurt Ida (the Artful Dodger). The hot summer sun was shining on the orange and yellow tent when this image was captured."

OLIVER! gets a plus and minus on report card

By Michael H. Drew, the Milwaukee Journal, Wednesday, August 2, 1972

In 1968, the movies turned OLIVER! into an Academy Award winner and, simultaneously, a difficult act to follow. Opening to another near capacity house Tuesday night, the Melody Top is making a brave, and generally successful, stab at it.

In its favor, the tent has Lionel Bart's Tony-winning score, some commendable – if not spectacular – performances and, sporadically, some of the film's and Broadway's rousing exuberance.

Despite artfully Dickensian costumes, elaborate makeup, revolving multilevel set and thick Cockney accents, a feeling of controlled style sometimes was missing Tuesday. Songs were rushed into, and the dialects and Don Yap's overenthusiastic pit band at times obscured the lyrics. A steady rain on the roof – through it in spots – didn't help either, though it contributed to a murky London mood.

Some premiere problems can be expected in tackling a tough period piece, a classic, no less, after a week's part-time rehearsal. Further, Bart's libretto sometimes glosses over "Oliver Twist's" social criticism in the rush to another hit tune. But that's understandable since they include "Where is Love?," "Consider Yourself," "As Long as He Needs Me," etc.

As Fagin, softened by Bart from a Jewish to a Cockney miser, TV's Leonard Nimoy is billed above the title. Never has a Melody Top star been less glamorously turned out, with teeth yellowed, costume of threads and patches and graying hair and beard covering those Mr. Spock ("Star Trek") ears. Nimoy skulks around snakily and sings in a commendable baritone.

Clarion-voiced Jane Coleman (Nancy) and Maggie Task (Mrs. Corney) were also fine, but Dick Ensslen (Bill Sikes) swallowed his one tune.

I was more taken with Alan Crofoot, recreating his Broadway role as the rascally Mr. Bumble. So wide that he can straddle the stage left and right simultaneously and with a baritone range from here to eternity, Crofoot strutted right off the pages of Dickens.

Milwaukee's Kurt Ida brought some of the same swagger, if not the vocal resources, to his Artful Dodger.

In the title role, Ric Cohen had better power and pitch. And, praise be, the tent didn't hire an under-grown rock star or midget tenor to belt his songs. Ric is just 14, and the 12-year old next to me beamed as if he were Donny Osmond.

Of course, she was similarly impressed with the dozen smudged urchins who were his colleagues in grime. As pick-pockets they were just petty thieves. But in scene swiping, director Stuart Bishop had them committing grand larceny, with malice aforethought.

jns
July 7, 2013
By Robert Gluck

Leonard Nimoy, from Star Trek to Jewish-themed photography, has lived long and prospered

Nimoy’s portrayal of Mr. Spock in “Star Trek” earned him iconic status as well as three Emmy nominations. But aside from his numerous credits as an actor and director, Nimoy is also a successful recording artist and author, having published two autobiographies as well as several volumes of poetry, two of which also feature his photographs. His photographs are in the collections of many major museums, including the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, the Judah L. Magnes Museum, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Jewish Museum of New York, the New Orleans Museum of Fine Art, and the Hammer Museum.

“I just produced a collection called ‘Eye Contact’ of 25 fine art prints,” Nimoy says. “The concept is that there is no eye contact with the models in the photographs. It has to do with the issues of privacy, neutrality, modesty and voyeurism.”

At Michelson’s website (www.Rmichelson.com), viewers can see Nimoy’s work and note his rising stature as a major contemporary American photographer.

“There is no doubt that Nimoy will always be identified foremost with Mr. Spock,” Michelson says. “But he is no dilettante with the camera.” (more)

New Acoustiguide Audio Tour at MIt University 

The audio guide also includes an introduction to MIT’s public art collection by actor, film director, and photographer Leonard Nimoy. A Boston native, Nimoy is best known for his portrayal of Spock in the original Star Trek series. Nimoy and his wife Susan have long been friends of MIT and the List Center and over the years the List received several awards through the Nimoy Foundation for a number of exciting artist residency projects which brought contemporary artists and their practices directly to MIT campus communities. Nimoy has an added connection to MIT in that his brother received his master’s degree in engineering from the Institute.

Source: mosaiko. Submitted by Grace

A New Audio Guide for MIT's Public Art Collection

With the audio guide also available online, this new resource is publicizing the collection to the world. The audio guide introduction is narrated by Leonard Nimoy, of Star Trek fame, highlighting MIT’s desire to generate popular interest in their art programs. To make visiting the works convenient, an interactive map shows where each work is situated on campus. Many of the public art works are off limits to the public, located in residences or offices, but MIT offers private tours of each of these works, and a phone number is included in each audio guide to make the work available to those who are interested. Incredible effort is being made to turn this art situated on a private university into a public attraction. The collection is world-class and should attract the attention it deserves.

Source: www.bigredandshiny.com

Due to LN’s extremely busy schedule, it will no longer be possible for him to print and mat copies of his photos for sale to LNAF members. He most recently printed up 76 pictures in the short time he spent at home between appearances, for which all of us are most grateful! Since he is on the road so much,.and home so little, it just isn’t possible for him to do all the photos as much as he would like to be able to do so. This last batch, in addition to the few left at LNAF Headquarters, will be offered to the members on a first come, first served basis Please remember that postage has gone up, and on the order blanks you should figure the adjustment for the additional cost of mailing them to you! Many LNAF members have these magnificent pieces of photographic craftsmanship hanging in their homes. Order yours today so you won’t be disappointed Order blanks are available from LNAF Headquarters. Those orders which have been waiting for the pics to arrive here at LNAF Headquarters, of course, shall be filled first. Leonard Nimoy has given much of his very valuable time to doing these photos for LNAFers over the past two years, and we deeply appreciate his hard work, and send him our most heartfelt thanks. It is a wonderful feeling to look on your walls, see one of his photos, and say, “Leonard Nimoy himself did that.

Source: LNAF Newsletter, March 1974

Michele Siegel talks to the creators of a new musical adaptation of Abigail Pogrebin's "Stars of David: Prominent Jews Talk About Being Jewish."

It dawned on me suddenly that I remembered a ’70s game show in which a panel of celebrities tried to guess the identities of other celebrities who were disguised by SPFX makeup. The one episode in particular that stood out in my mind featured Leonard Nimoy disguised as the Roman god of fire and volcanoes…, Vulcan.

As usual, my Google-Fu was strong. The name of the show wasMasquerade Party, starring emcee Richard Dawson, and celebrity panelists Bill Bixby, Lee Meriweather, and Nipsey Russell. Here’s a link [to] the [Wikipedia] entry

Leonard and the Wolf

We interviewed Leonard Nimoy the other day: he will narrate Peter and the Wolf this weekend, a holiday tradition! And the pointy-eared one had a, well, lapse of his dignified Vulcan composure. But in a good way. (Really, this man can do no harm.) Hear him sing Prokofiev and quack like a duck. Nimoy is a wildly charming man.

He will be part of a family show with the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra led by Benjamin Shwartz. It's Benjamin last time conducting this holiday favorite, we're sad to see him leave the SF Symphony at the end of the season.

We asked Leonard if, after doing Peter and the Wolf, he was not worried about being typecast as a Russian peasant, and he shrugged: It happens that I'm descended from Russians, my parents were Russian immigrants, so that might be appropriate. I'd go for that! Actually, Leonard has been doing this role for a while: Peter and the Wolf, it's a very popular piece. I've done it several times before. In my business, you cannot be 77yo and haven't done Peter and the Wolf, it's impossible, you can't do that.

And Leonard, what's your San Francisco connection: I directed a movie, which was called Star Trek IV: the voyage home, most of it was shot in SF. Does that count? You bet! We had a great time, we shot all over the place, we shot on the Golden Gate bridge. We haven't seen it, but it's ok, you don't have to apologize, there are a lot of people who have not seen a Star Trek movie, you are not alone. Plus, he assures us it's a fun movie.

He officially has retired from movies, but guess what? What could possibly bring me out of retirement other than a Star Trek movie. That's the only thing I would come out for. They wrote a wonderful script, it's going to be a great movie. Coming out in May to a theater near you. I owe a lot to Star Trek obviously, it was a great influence in my life, it gave me the opportunity to work all around the world on some projects, and gave me the opportunity to become a director. And they told me there was a Star Trek movie that needed me to come and play Spock, I'm happy to go.

Forty-three years of Star Trek, and still going strong. And his singing is as good as ever!

Peter and the Wolf
Narrated by Leonard Nimoy, with the SF Symphony Youth Orchestra conducted by Benjamin Shwartz,
Saturday, Dec 13, 2008 2:00pm at the Flint Center (Cupertino)
Sunday, Dec 14, 2008 1:00pm and 4:00pm at Davies Symphony Hall

Source: sfist

Uhura would be so proud

So we're not sure what qualifies Leonard Nimoy to be an expert on this subject, but, we fully support feminist concepts, especially when negative stereotypes and cultural biases are put into question. So we're going with it. Especially considering Mr. Nimoy seems to have really tamed his raging machismo since his space-traveling days, as evidenced by the disturbing image seen at left. We commend him for growing as a person, and as a Vulcan.

Tomorrow afternoon there will be an Artist Talk at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston by Leonard Nimoy on his book, The Full Body Project. In his provocative new book of nude studies, The Full Body Project, photographer and actor Leonard Nimoy presents pictures of full-bodied women who defy media images of the ideal female figure. "The average America woman," Nimoy writes in his preface to the book, "weighs 25 percent more than the models selling their clothes. There is a huge industry built around selling women ways to get their bodies closer to the fantasy ideal. The message is: you don´t look right. If you buy our product, you can get there." In The Full Body Project, Nimoy questions this media message by photographing women who accept the fullness of their figures and who clearly enjoy being together as dancers and working together with Nimoy to make these pictures that are often inspired by famous works of art.

The Full Body Project is available in the MFAH retail shop and will be available for sale during the reception that will follow the Artist Talk. Mr. Nimoy will only sign copies purchased at the MFAH.

2:00 p.m.
Saturday, November 10th [2007]
Brown Auditorium
Caroline Weiss Law Building
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Source: houstonist

2-Way Chemistry, Crackle to Fizzle
New TV Series Powered by Pairs, for Better or Worse

Do they click? Do their characters mesh, and can viewers stand to spend time with them? A lot can go into whether a television show succeeds — time slot, subject matter, budget — but sometimes a series rises or falls on the strength of two pivotal actors. And this season’s new shows offer illuminating examples.

(...) But crucial pairings don’t have to be romantic, and they don’t have to be in a two-character show. Would “Star Trek” have endured had William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy not found a way to sell the odd exchanges between Kirk and Spock?

Source: New York Times

Monsters vs. Aliens via badass-ium.tumblr.com

Supporters
Reasons for signing

Pierre Peters PHILADELPHIA, PA

I believe that Morgan Freeman and Leonard Nimoy have had a large impact on the world of documentaries. If we could keep producing these movies with their movies, we could keep the heritage of those voices.

Jesse Friedman PHILADELPHIA, PA

I am heavily influenced by the voices of Leonard Nimoy and Morgan Freeman, and I think future generations should be able to have the same experience.

Source: change.org

There has been a rumor making the rounds that there will be a STAR TREK movie in productIon very shortly. The rumor ranges from everything to it already IS in production, to the series will be starting again in the fall. These rumors are another case of misinterpretation of information. Though there always IS a possibility that someday there will be a STAR TREK movie, there are no plans for one in the near future.

We DO have some exciting news concerning STAR TREK! It IS a fact that a bridge set is being constructed right now! WHERE?--At the Movieland Wax Museum-7711 Beach Bivd.-Buena Park, California, near Disneyland! Due to popular demand, the staff of the museum is constructing a permanent STAR TRFK exhibit, which will feature a working bridge set, and life-like wax images of the crew of the Enterprise! They took many photographs of Leonard Nimoy from all angles so that their wax reproduction of Mr. Spock will be accurate! As you can imagine, such an undertaking will require microscopic detail! Upon its completion, people visiting the museum will be able to feel that they are in reality on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise! lt will be quite an experience for anyone on vacation to California, or anyone who may live in the area. As of right now, the exhibit is set for opening towards the end of July! We will. try to have more about it in our next bulletin!

(Source: LNAF Newsletter June 1974)

The auction house then would give the 53-year-old a chance to buy stuff that had been sold, but for which the buyer hadn't surfaced with cash.

"I wanted something," Greenthal recalled.

A few days later, the auctioneer said Greenthal could have the seven waxes of the "Star Trek" crew, including Captain Kirk and Spock, for nearly $40,000 after taxes and fees. Greenthal showed up at the closed museum, paced about, and then told the auctioneer, "I'll do it."

I have either done the most stupid thing in my life or the smartest, he thought.

Within a day, a friend who is a computer salesman, Chris Liebl, 54, of La Mirada wanted in - and absorbed half of the cost.

Steve and Lori Greenthal and Liebl, all fans of the 1960s TV show but not fanatics, came up with a plan: Let's have some fun and also make a little money by selling off the waxes, which had been posed since 1974 on a Movieland set of the U.S.S. Enterprise. They figured they had bought low.

The three and a carpenter meticulously built an elaborate set of the Enterprise bridge. In all, they have sunk in $60,000 to $70,000.

A week ago, 600 people paid during a "Star Trek" convention in Las Vegas to pose for pictures on the Enterprise. Sunday, the Greenthals and Liebl ended a five-day stint at the 64th annual World Science Fiction Convention, at the Anaheim Convention Center, when about 100 people paid $19 and up to dress up in "Star Trek" tunics and get photographed.

Source: ocregister

The Crew has been called away on private missions that will prevent their return to the public eye for the foreseeable future.  Once their journeys are completed, we anticipate their eventual return to the fans. As these missions are currently open-ended, no schedule can be posted at this time.

Source: http://www.enterprisewax.com/