Curt Schleier

New York, River Vale

Writer and Critic at Freelance

Writer (Investors Business Daily, The Forward), critic (Seattle Times, Minneapolis Star Tribune), author (How to Think Like the Masters of M&A)

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Articles

'V is for Venom' shows how Agatha Christie killed hundreds with poisons

1 week ago | startribune.com | Curt Schleier

Dick Wolf might want to take a gander at "V is for Venom." Wolf is the creative force behind the various, long-running "Law & Order" shows, "Chicago" and "FBI" offshoots, too. Well over 1,000 episodes in, collectively, I figure he has to be running out of ways to off people. Enter the inventively homicidal Agatha Christie.
Can an Iranian fight an Israeli?

2 weeks ago | njjewishnews.timesofisrael.com | Curt Schleier

The film “Tatami” is co-directed by an Israeli and an Iranian. This is the first time that’s ever happened. Its dialogue is almost entirely in Farsi. And it is about an international championship competition in the comparatively obscure sport of judo. Yet the mix of these disparate elements implausibly has resulted in the most exciting and suspenseful of political thrillers, a film that has the potential and quite frankly deserves to be the breakout hit of the year.
‘Bad Shabbos,’ good guffaws

1 month ago | njjewishnews.timesofisrael.com | Curt Schleier

“Bad Shabbos” is one of the funniest, laugh-out-loud-est films since Mel Brooks picked up a camera. Period. If you don’t believe me, trust the folks who showed up at screenings at last year’s Tribeca Film Festival. They gave it the Audience Award, a prize based on the votes of attendees at every performance of every one of the 100-plus films accepted into the competition. At its simplest, “Bad Shabbos” is an old-fashioned farce. But it’s not all guffaws.
Jeffrey Seller Lit Up Huge Success On Broadway

1 month ago | investors.com | Curt Schleier

Jeffrey Seller is one of the most successful producers on Broadway. And it's no accident. His shows won 22 Tony Awards, including four in the Best Musical category. His Broadway productions and tours grossed over $4.6 billon and have been seen by more than 43 million people.
The Mom Who Co-Designed Israel’s Supreme Court Building

1 month ago | hadassahmagazine.org | Curt Schleier

Email Print Ada Karmi-Melamede is considered one of Israel’s most celebrated architects. Over the past four decades, the 88-year-old Israel Prize recipient has designed some of the nation’s most iconic public buildings, perhaps none more so than the Supreme Court building in Jerusalem, which she conceived of with her late brother, Ram Karmi.
Idina Menzel Dishes on ‘Redwood’ and Jewish Ethics

1 month ago | hadassahmagazine.org | Curt Schleier

Email Print Tony award-winning actor and singer Idina Menzel is now starring in what may be the most positive Jewish play on Broadway in decades. In the musical Redwood, Menzel plays Jesse, a New York City art gallery owner and bereaved Jewish mother. Unable to cope with the approaching anniversary of the death of her son from a drug overdose, Jesse, who is gay, leaves her wife and job and travels across the country to Eureka, Calif.
Survivor siblings remain ‘Unbroken’

2 months ago | njjewishnews.timesofisrael.com | Curt Schleier

“Unbroken” is about a miracle. It’s the story of seven Jewish children, siblings, who managed to survive the war together in Nazi Germany. It is a joyous, life-affirming documentary, almost Shakespearean in its complexity, with Nazi evil counterbalanced by a righteous couple who risked their lives to help. Eventually the youngsters emigrated to the United States, where they built lives for themselves. But there’s also a discordant note.
Stephanie Kwolek's Kevlar Invention Literally Saves Lives

2 months ago | investors.com | Curt Schleier

Stephanie Kwolek was the unlikely DuPont chemist who invented Kevlar, the miracle fiber that's five times stronger than steel. Her invention has literally been a lifesaver. Kevlar (poly-paraphenylene terephthalamide) is found in many places, including protective gear for police officers and soldiers. And it stops bullets. For instance, Marine Daniel Greenwald was conducting a routine stop at a vehicle checkpoint in Anwar Province, Iraq, when a sniper bullet struck him in the head in 2006.
Climbing a tree, nourishing the soul

2 months ago | jewishstandard.timesofisrael.com | Curt Schleier |Deb Herman

Tina Landau is having quite a year. She opened two shows on Broadway this season, in itself a remarkable feat. But what makes it extraordinary is that she wrote and directed both. “Floyd Collins” is in previews at Lincoln Center, but the play I really want to talk about is “Redwood.” It is the most positive Jewish play in decades. “Parade,” “Prayers for the French Republic,” “Leopoldstadt,” even “Fiddler on the Roof” are rooted in antisemitism.
Listening to Folksinger Janis Ian

Mar 28, 2025 | hadassahmagazine.org | Curt Schleier

Email Print Many people have likely only heard of Janis Ian from for her two major hits, Society’s Child, from 1965, and At Seventeen, from 1975. A new documentary on the life and career of the Jewish singer-songwriter, whose songs have been covered by stars from Cher to Nina Simone to Dave Grohl, is out in select theaters on March 28.