Whiz Kid: Frankel Jewish Academy's Pachter Leads 'Little Shop'

Each week, West Bloomfield Patch features students doing amazing things in their schools and communities. 

Jonathan Pachter

• Age: 17
• School: 
• Achievement: When Jonathan Pachter first met the head of the Jewish Academy's performing and visual arts departments, Mitch Master, he made an impression as a leader that has lasted through almost every theater production FJA has done in Jonathan's 3 1/2 years there.
  
  "In year one, he said, 'Don’t feel like you need to give me any large parts. There’s probably some seniors who feel like they deserve it.' I said, 'Jon, leave the casting to me!'," Master recalled last week, 14 days before the March 29 opening of Jonathan's last leading role in Little Shop of Horrors. "He leads by example, which is what I count on him to do." 
  
  In the comedy/science fiction musical Little Shop, based on the 1960 film of the same name, Jonathan will lead the cast as Seymour, a nerdy guy working in a florist's shop who finds an interesting plant, which leads to a plot of world domination.  
  
  In addition to a very involved role in the theater and performing arts department, Jonathan also plays piano for seniors at a local living complex, tutors FJA students in math and science and tutors Hebrew students at . He recently won the University of Michigan Bell Scholarship and was named a finalist for a He aspires to study theoretical physics at Michigan upon graduation like his older brother Gabriel.

• Key to awesomeness: Just as the hilarious melodrama of the Seymour character grows throughout Little Shop, Jonathan has grown into a bit of a ham. "For a Kosher boy, he's the biggest ham I know," Master said jokingly.
  
  Elliot Pachter of West Bloomfield said his son has always been artistic, but only began to pick up a stage presence at school. "He was always running around the house singing and dancing, but he was also very shy. One time he came home in seventh grade and said he wanted to be in a show and he just caught the bug."
  
  Master is excited to see the young man go out on top. "He’s willing to be one of those kids who takes anything on his plate and do it with pride and confidence," he said.
  
  Tickets for Little Shop ($15-16) are available over the phone through the Berman Center box office or online at theberman.org. The show opens March 29 at 7:30 p.m. with a second performance scheduled for 2 p.m. April 1.

Do you know our next Whiz Kid?

West Bloomfield Patch welcomes suggestions for students, youth groups and even sports teams who wow us with their accomplishments. We want to hear about these amazing children and teens and select one each week as Whiz Kid. Submit your nomination in our comment box below or email the information to editor Tim.Rath@patch.com. Please include all these details:

• Nominator's name
• Whiz Kid's name and age
• Whiz Kid's school
• Whiz Kid's accomplishment
• What makes him or her successful