A Visit to Yesteryear

ARTS&LIFE

ART

Paul Adams with his print of the old J.L. Hudson building in Detroit.

A Visit to Yesteryear

Art exhibit at Prentis showcases 1950s-60s Detroit.

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Paul Adams and Harvey Singer were business associates before they became friends. An interest in art has remained at the core of their relationship although that interest has been expressed in different ways. Adams, drawing since childhood, was hired as a graphic artist while still a senior at Cass Technical High School and went on to create watercolor and print images of legendary spots in the Motor City. Singer, appreciating art and demonstrating sales skills, opened a firm, The Art Department, to market the signature works of diverse artists he admired.

Singer took notice of Adams’ urban renderings displayed at art fairs around the state and accepted responsibility for pitching them to gallery presenters.

After years of work projects, the two have collaborated on a donor project — Singer’s idea. A resident of the Anna and Meyer Prentis Apartments in Oak Park, administered by Jewish Senior Life, Singer thought historical pictures decorating the lobby would offer welcoming sights to both occupants and visitors.

Adams provided 17 prints, and Singer paid for the framing through a fund in memory of his son, David Aaron Singer, administered by the Jewish Federation of Metropolitan Detroit. Among the images are 1950s-60s renderings of Hudson’s Department Store, Campus Martius Park and the Michigan Central Railroad Depot, where another Adams print, capturing the back of the structure, went up about two months ago.

“I’ve started lots of activities at Prentis, including a weekly movie night, and I thought this display would bring lots of pleasure to our residents who grew up in the city,” said Singer, 80.

“We’re living in a community where youngsters here are in their 60s so when they go into the lobby they can look at the prints and take a nostalgic trip into yesterday. One picture even moves viewers into the suburbs to remember the early cruisers along Woodward.”

Singer, who had his bar mitzvah at what became Adat Shalom Synagogue, brands his favorite image as showing buildings that had filled the border separating

Harry Singer

JERRY ZOLYNSKY

Artist Paul Adams with his print of the old Vernors plant in 1950.

JERRY ZOLYNSKY

THEATER

JOAN MARCUS

Print of Downtown Detroit 1951.

Highland Park from Detroit.

“I lived a half-mile from there,” recalled the Prentis resident of almost five years. “It’s nice to look back.”

WORKING TOGETHER

Adams and Singer worked together professionally for about 15 years, a time after the digital approach to drawing cars took over the responsibilities that Adams had long enjoyed.

“I’m 81, and I wanted to bring back my childhood through these images,” Adams said. “My parents didn’t have a car when I was a kid, but we went all over the city on buses and streetcars. It was fun bringing back the places we saw.”

When Adams started work, he defined Detroit as the art center for advertising.

“I did brochures and newspaper ads when it was all flat art, but that died in the early ’90s,” Adams said. “That’s when I started going to outdoor fairs, including the Michigan State Fair and a couple in Birmingham.

“I can’t do art fairs now because it’s too hard. I loved doing them from each May to late September, meeting the people almost every weekend. I think I did well because people like reminiscing.”

Adams’ favorite print shows the Vernors’ plant, which was by the waterfront. He recalls stopping there to get a Boston Cooler (ginger ale and vanilla ice cream) when his family was on the way to Boblo Island Amusement Park.

“I put the cars of the times in my pictures,” said Adams, whose work also can be seen in hospitals and Buddy’s Pizza locales as his current renderings focus on railroad projects.

“I always loved trains, and they have a lot of train shows,” he said. “I work according to the mood I’m in — from two hours a day to all day.”

In November, Prentis Apartments had a reception honoring Adams and Singer.

“Everybody here seems thrilled with the display, and I hear a lot of stories from those who used to go cruising down Woodward,” Singer said. “A lot of the buildings that are shown along Woodward are gone, but the White Castle is still there. I like being reminded of those other buildings.”

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up in the Bronx,” said Blake who, at age 80, is one year older than King. “The entire world of Beautiful — The Carole King Musical is all about Jewish kids growing up and making their careers in New York City. It’s a Jewish success story.”

And successful it is. The Tony and Grammy Awardwinning Beautiful — The Carole King Musical was the 27th longest-running musical in Broadway history when it closed after nearly six years in October 2019 just before the pandemic.

The touring production was originally scheduled to play at the Fisher Theatre in May 2020 and was rescheduled to Jan. 4-9, 2022. It resumed touring last month in Chicago. Blake said that he’s in talks to bring the show back to Broadway as well as make a film adaptation with Sony Pictures and Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman as co-producers.

“We are thrilled to be coming back to Detroit,” Blake said. “This is a total Equity production because we insist on the highest standards and want to give the audience the best show that we can.”

The Actors’ Equity Association (AEA) is the performers and stage managers union that protects actors’ rights, provides fair pay, benefits and work environments including strict adherence to safety and COVID protocols. This North American tour of Beautiful — The Carole King Musical features many of the cast members from the Broadway production. Sara Sheperd, who is Jewish, understudied the role of Carole King on Broadway and takes on the title character in this production.

“Beautiful is filled with music that you grew up with — the soundtrack of your youth, if you’re over 45,” Blake said. “The audience is going to have a wonderful time.”

Sara Sheperd as Carole King

Details

Beautiful — The Carole King Musical runs Jan. 4-9, 2022, at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit. Tickets start at $39 (including facility and parking fees) and can be purchased online at www.ticketmaster.com, by phone at 800-982-2787 or in person at the Fisher Theatre Box Office.