GUEST REVIEWER: “Stark and Shtark: A review of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (in Yiddish)”

Stark and Shtark

A review of the
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene Production of
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (in Yiddish)
At the Museum of Jewish Heritage

August 19, 2018
GUEST REVIEWER: Moshe Bloxenheim

Now, I am not a natural Yiddish Speaker by any means and I entered the theater to see this Yiddish Production of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF with the attitude of one who might be going in to see an opera in a familiar but foreign language. To my amazement the addition of Yiddish to FIDDLER ON THE ROOF did not alienate me, nor did it feel like a gimmick. While the use of Mr. Shraga Freidman’s Yiddish translation did not always have the flowing poetry of the English of Mr. Joseph Stein’s book and Mr. Sheldon Harnick’s lyrics, the language had its own particularly biting beauty to the ear. Even in Mr. Friedman’s Yiddish rendition, Mr. Sheldon Harnick’s words still flow with Mr. Jerry Bock’s music in a classic unity, from the buoyant introductory song “Traditsye” [Tradition] to the final mournful and ironic “Anatevke” [Anatevka].

The plot itself may be a simplified adaptation of Mr. Sholom Aleichem’s Tevye stories, but this Yiddish FIDDLER ON THE ROOF gives me the sense of an old sepia photograph taken to preserve a sense of place.

Within this picture, we behold 1905 Anatevka – a village on the Russian Pale of Settlement. Tevye, the poor yet philosophical dairyman, scratches out a meager living for himself and his wife Golde and their five daughters. When Tevye’s older daughters reach out beyond the safe and traditional futures that their parents had expected for them, it signals the beginning of changes that will eventually overturn the seemingly stable world of Anatevka.

A keen cast of performers populate this little Shtetl.

Mr. Steven Skybell splendidly imbues Tevye with the weariness of a man who can barely get by, but he also shows Tevye’s spirit: that wonderfully wry sense of humor and the deeply personal – if sometimes annoyed – relationship with G-d that makes him so moving. This Tevye clearly values the past but will do his best to adjust to the changes that will affect him and his family. What is more, is start turns such as “Ven Ikn Bin a Rothchild” [If I were A Rich Man], Mr. Skybell knows how to stay admirably and enjoyably in character.

As Tevye’s wife, Golde, Ms. Jennifer Babiak gives a good performance. She is indeed the careworn wife and mother who manages, but wants security for her daughters. Ms. Babiak is fine singing the soulful “Shabes Brokhe” [Sabbath Prayer] and she gets good laughs when she chides of Tevye or reacts to Yenta. But I did not feel that Ms. Babiak’s Golde was the most wifely counterbalance to Tevye.

On the other hand, Ms. Rachel Zatcoff truly makes Tsaytl her father’s child. She is willing to do her best to be a good daughter, but she cannot keep silent when she feels her own life will be thrown away. When Tsaytl speaks up for herself, Ms. Zatcoff lets us feel the desperation and thrill of her audacity.

Similarly, Tevye’s second daughter Hodl discovers that her own future runs contrary to Anatevka and family expectations. Ms. Stephanie Lynn Mason skillfully portrays Hodl’s development as she discovers love and sees that the world is more than just Anatevka. In “Vayt Fun Mayn Liber Haym” [Far From The Home I Love] Tevye’s second daughter is not merely singing about the sorrow of leaving all that she held dear for love. Instead, Ms. Mason makes it clear that Hodl is now paying the price of looking beyond herself.

The role of Khave is a role of little dialogue yet she is the daughter who brings Tevye and Golde’s world crashing down. It is amazing how Ms. Rosie Jo Neddy still gives us the full emotional impact Khava’s choosing a man outside her faith and how it would make her an outcast. Tevye’s heartbreaking song “Khavaleh” becomes all the more affecting due to Ms. Neddy’s beautiful dancing.

What about the men who have won Tevye’s daughters?

It is possible to make Motl Kamzoyl a nebbish’l but if the likable Mr. Ben Liebert shows us a Motl who is meek, his Motl is also clearly in love with Tsaytl and takes inspiration from her – even facing Tevye for Tsaytl’s hand against all hope.

Mr. Daniel Kahn gives us a principled Pertshik who is out to want to improve the world and who thinks a bit too highly of his own ideas, but Mr. Kahn’s Pertshik wins us over with his open appreciation of Hodl who easily brings him down to earth. When he sings “Itst Hob Ikh Di Gantse Velt” [Now I Have Everything] Pertshik is not only a man who has found love but also humanity.

Compared to Motl and Pertshik, the Russian, Fyedke, has little to say. Nevertheless, the attractive Mr. Cameron Johnson says it with an honest flair. Singing and dancing, Mr. Johnson takes a memorable moment in the spotlight in “Lekhayim” [L’Chayim, To Life].
In spite of Leyzer-Volf being wrong for Tsatyle, Mr. Bruce Sabath makes us sympathize with this lonely widower, and like him. Unsuitable as he might be, it is clear that Mr. Sabath’s Lazar-Volf would try hard to make Tsaytl happy. In addition, Messrs. Sabath and Skybell know how to make the best out of their character’s bickering.

Of course Ms. Jackie Hoffman’s Yente the Matchmaker has her own definite opinions regarding girls who find their own husbands. Here is a hilariously sublime and all-too recognizable noodge: She busily rises above her own lone status, ignoring defeat as she poses and answers all her own questions, pushes some surreal matches and outright steals the very scenery.

Another delightfully notable presence was the spectre of Leyzer-Volf’s first vife, Frume-Sore, enacted with wickedly melodramatic abandon by Ms. Jodi Snyder.

Mr. Adam B. Shapiro plays the Rabbi of Anatevka with a sweet and sad buffoonery of a man who had always been assured and comfortable in his position and is now trying to use the same formulas in the face of circumstances he had never conceived of.

Any actor taking on the role of Der Gradavoy [The Constable] has to portray a prejudiced man who can countenance the persecution of innocents by government ukase. Mr. Bobby Underwood understandably avoids the easy melodrama inherent the role, but I felt his understatement was more a case of playing it safe.

Ms. Lauren Jeanne Thomas is excellent playing the Fiddler of the title, punctuating the show with her musical presence.

The rest of the company are first-rate as well and all bring this isolated community to vivid life..

Director Joel Grey has an admirable trust in the material, deftly interweaving the comedy and drama, never allowing the action to flag for a second. Every person seems to have a story in this Anatevka, even if there is not time enough for them to tell it — this is an even more noteworthy achievement when you realize that several of the performers are working phonetically in an unfamiliar language.

Although Choreographer Staś Kmieć is clearly influenced by Mr. Jerome Robbin’s staging of the original Broadway production, he creates a remarkable spectacle that is surprising for such a small venue. Besides the dancing, Mr. Kmieć works ideally with Mr. Grey to set up both public and private moments in the life of the community.

The orchestra is ably led by Mr. Zalmen Mlotek using Mr. Larry Blank’s adaptation of Mr. Don Walker’s original orchestrations for Mr. Jerry Bock’s wonderful music. Mr. Mlotek and his players appear onstage, underlining the fact that they too are part of the proceedings and can comment on and underline the action without intruding. In addition, Director Gray and Conductor Mlotek know how give those performers who were not so comfortable in Yiddish an air of fluency that happily fools those of us who are also not that familiar with the “Mamaloshen” [Mother Tongue].

Mr. Beowulf Boritt’s stark scenic design with its paper and fabric hangings and basic props are a suitable canvas for Messrs. Grey and Kmieć to paint a picture of the past. Assisted most effectively by Mr. Peter Kaczowrowski’s lighting, Ms. Ann Hould-Ward’s costumes and the hair and wigs of Mr. Tom Watson, the performers vividly summon up the houses and streets of Anatevka on the deceptively simple set.

I am always surprised when a small theater needs amplification, but Mr. Dan Moses Schreier’s sound designs are suitably understated. (Finally, I realize how apt the name Schreier – which is Yiddish for “a shouter” – is for audio work).

In all, the Yiddish FIDDLER ON THE ROOF is an amazing production that gives far more to the audience than one might expect. Would it be as satisfactory in English? That is something to consider, but not too intently, since this Yiddish Language production is quite marvelous as it is.

Having finished the overall review, I would like to applaud Mr. Sheldon Harnick, the original lyricist of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF who prevented the present adaptation from replacing the word “Tradition” with “The Torah”. Understandably, this change promises a real dramatic kick to the play but I believe it would make the whole premise of FIDDLER ON THE ROOF ring false. “Tradition” implies rules based on societal norms and roles. “The Torah” deals with the religious belief that defines Tevye and his community not merely as residents of Anatevka with quaint customs but as Jews. In FIDDLER ON THE ROOF Tevye struggles to balance his understood position in Anatevka with the changes that are threatening tradition while trying to understand what G-d would want from him. Under “Tradition” Tevye can question and even adapt, but he does not defy G-d. If “The Torah” became the theme, then we would be seeing Tevye and his neighbors finally being evicted from Anatevka for the very religion that Tevye would have been discarding all along.

 

Fiddler on the Roof (in Yiddish)

DIRECTED BY JOEL GREY

July 4, 2018 – Oct. 25, 2018
at Museum of Jewish Heritage

 

 

or call 866-811-4111

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About the reviewer:
MOSHE BLOXENHEIM

I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York.Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

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PRESS RELEASE:  PRECIOUS Little TALENT

 P R E C I O U S Little T A L E N T

BY ELLA HICKSON
DIRECTED BY GEORGE C. HESLIN

GREG MULLAVEY, CONNOR DELVES & ELIZA SHEA TO STAR IN NY PREMIERE OF “PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT” DIRECTED BY GEORGE C. HESLIN.

FOLLOWING SUCCESSFUL PRODUCTIONS AT THE EDINBURGH FRINGE FESTIVAL AND IN LONDON’S WEST END, WHICH GARNERED FOUR STAR REVIEWS ACROSS THE BOARD, “PRECIOUS LITTLE TALENT” BY ELLA HICKSON IS PRESENTED IN A LIMITED ENGAGEMENT OFF-OFF-BROADWAY RUNNING SEPTEMBER 20-30.

The critically acclaimed British sensation, Precious Little Talent, will make its NY Premiere in a limited two-week engagement, beginning September 20.Award-winning playwright, Ella Hickson (Eight, Boys, Oil) marks herreturns to NYC, with this production directed by Origin Theatre Company’s Artistic Director, George C. Heslin. The play starsAmerican film and TV legend, Greg Mullavey, whose credits include, Rumors (Broadway, with Veronica Hamel), Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman & iCarly.The play also starsConnor Delves(Endangered, Off-Broadway) and British actress, Eliza Shea(Blithe Spirit, Chenango River Theatre).

Taking place in New York City and London, between 2008-11, Precious Little Talent explores the culture clash of American optimism with British cynicism, and how a tangled love story sits somewhere in between. Hicksonpits the struggles of young peoplein the midst of an economic downturn, against those faced by an aging man, desperate to retain his independence whilst suffering from dementia.

 It plays 12 performances at The West End Theatre, 263 W86th St. 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10024, (1 train to 86th St.) from Wednesday September 20-30, with an official opening on Wednesday September 20 at 8pm.

Shea Delves Productions, in association with Co-Producer Joseph Lavezzo, present this NY premiere. The creative team includes Drama Desk Award-Winner,Maruti Evans (Set Design), Michael O’Connor (Lighting Design), Sam LaFrage (Sound Design), Jenny Green (Costume Design). Alaska Caleois the production stage manager. George C. Heslin, is the Artistic Director of Origin Theatre and founder of the 1st Irish Theatre Festival. Having worked extensively on Broadway and in the West End, Heslin was invited to meet President Obama in 2011, for his services to arts and culture.

 Critical acclaim in London includes:

  • ‘A little gemit bursts with unmistakable freshness’ (The Telegraph, 4 stars)
  • ‘Precious Little Talent’ wins battle for hearts and minds’ (The Daily Mail, 4 stars)
  • ‘Full of spluttering energy and has a real fire in its belly’ (The Guardian, 4 stars)
  • ‘A rising star of British theatre, she has a gorgeous way with words’ (The Independent, 4 stars)

Precious Little Talent performs at The West End Theatre, 263 W 86th St. 2nd Floor. Performances (12 in total) are Tuesday,Wednesday, Thursday, Friday at 8pm; Saturday at 2pm & 8pm, and Sunday at 2pm.  

For tickets, which are $30, call 866-811-4111 or visit https://web.ovationtix.com/trs/cal/34943?sitePreference=normal

Please see www.PreciousLittleTalentNYC.com for further information.
(Running time: 80 minutes.)

Sincerely,
Shea Delves Productions

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An Interview with the one & only Leslie Jordan – (our 1st Phone Interview)

Tuesday, July 7th I got the privilege to have an amazing phone conversation with
the one and only LESLIE JORDAN.

You know him from Will & Grace, REBA, The Help and a list too long for this page.

We’ve put in some great pictures so you’ll have something to watch along with the audio!
Let me know how you like this format and we’ll try to have more!

Click and enjoy, LESLIE JORDAN!

For Tickets and more info visit:
LESLIE JORDAN AT THE CROWN & ANCHOR

More about Leslie:
FACEBOOK
Official Web Page
IMdB

REVIEW: Encores! Concert Revival of LITTLE ME

On whom the Belle told…
A review of Encores! Concert Revival of

LITTLE ME
little me poster

At New York City Center

February 9, 2014

A wealthy, well-connected celebrity decides to share “Her Inspiring Life Story” with the world.  This is the basis for Patrick Dennis’ classic camp novel LITTLE ME which in turn formed the book for the rollicking vaudeville of a musical with the same title.  In bringing LITTLE ME to New York City Center, Encores! has spared nothing in their new concert production:  great performers, superb choreography and excellent staging, all of which set off this tuneful and happily silly show to the best advantage.

Mr. Neil Simon was clearly mining comic gold when he adapted LITTLE ME for the stage and Mr. Jack Viertel’s concert version does not tarnish the show one whit.  Miss Belle Poitrine has decided to dictate her memoirs to the fascinated author Patrick Dennis and give the world “the Truth” of her start as a dewy, well-proportioned lass from the wrong side of the tracks who, due to heartbreak, rose to prominent wealth, culture and social position on the right side of the tracks.  She relates all the people who have helped her along through hardship, war, disaster, Hollywood and Monte Carlo beginning with her one true love and all the other men who happened along the way, bankers, performers, producers, princes and so on…

The company truly romps through the show, most of them even being without the scriptbooks that Encores! had everyone carry onstage as a constant reminder to one and all that this is a “show in concert.  Only one script is ever seen and it generates one of the best laughs of the evening.

There are performers who understand the virtue of facing farce with an absolute straight face and Ms. Judy Kaye is certainly adept at this high comic art.  She sails serenely through the most outrageous narratives never tipping her hand at the absurdity of a situation (and boy can they be fantastic).  As a result, Ms. Kaye creates an unforgettable contemporary Belle Poitrine: a woman with an outrageous – but heroic – past and who clearly not content to rest on her massive pile of laurels.  In doing so, Ms. Kaye wins the adoration of the audience and gets some of the best laughs of the evening.

Neck and neck with Ms. Kaye in capturing the admiration of the audience is the young Belle Poitrine (neé Schlumpfert) who bravely climbs her way out of highly emphasized poverty.  Ms. Rachel York’s Belle is sincerity personified whether she is taking poise lessons in a hotel room with a rich banker or personally comforting a prince who has the pressures of the kingdom on his frail shoulders.  Additionally, Ms. York shows each step of her character’s evolution rising from naïve innocence to sophistication maintaining a blatant nobility and intrusive purity that makes her presence onstage all the funnier and likeable.  Musically as well Ms. York can do no wrong and when she and Ms. Kaye join forces in the number “Little Me” they wreak considerable pleasure.

If there is anyone who can truly blight the irrepressible Belle’s life it is Mrs. Eggleston, a wealthy snob of the first rank and the mother of Belle’s one true love.  While Mrs. Eggleston’s oedipal control of her son is not complex, Ms. Harriet Harris’ starchily droll demeanor makes her the perfect cartoon villainess to root against.

If Belle cannot achieve her heart’s desire there are many, MANY other men who desire her, starting with Tony Yazbeck who plays the devoted and world-wise George Musgrove.  The handsome urbane George may not be the man who can assure “happily ever after” for poor Belle, but the charming Mr. Yazbeck makes it a close thing.  His rendition of “I’ve Got Your Number” is both a seductive call and a wink at the real Belle that George can see and still love.

Ah, but then there are a LOT of other men in Belle’s life: The stingy banker Amos Pinchley whom Belle converts to generosity; Monsieur Val Du Val, France’s rude answer to Maurice Chevalier, Deliveryman and Hollywood Director Otto Schnitzler and Princes AND soldiers and, and, and…  All of whom are portrayed by Mr. Christian Borle.

This is the gimmick.

Little Me 1And a worthy gimmick it is too, for the dynamic Mr. Borle never holds back on the fun, allowing full lunacy of expression whether he is a man toggling through on-and-off amnesia, a Prince calling on his loving subjects with some rather unfortunate news or the innocent nearsighted doughboy Fred Poitrine who rapidly weds and widows Belle.  Not only does Mr. Borle play his goofy roster of characters to the hilt, but he also carries their numbers quite admirably (“Real Live Girl” is a joy) – especially in the role of the ridiculously wealthy, hyper-educated true love of Belle’s life, Noble Eggleston.  As Noble, Mr. Borle has gotten the deadpan demeanor down beautifully, whether he is explaining the difference between a gift and charity to young Belle (charity is better) or training a rapidly sinking linerful of people how to swim before the ship goes under.  There is no doubt that Noble is something of a wet smack (even before the boat sank) but he is Belle’s drip and he loves her – which makes him kind of endearing.  We know he will always be forced to leave, but Noble somehow manages return to Belle.  It is commendable when an actor can carry off a constantly varying array of portrayals, but it is really something when he must also perform one consistent role that has to thread its way in between his other characters at the same time.  If Mr. Borle does not deliver absolute perfection in such a complicated tangle of personas, he does pretty darned well.

Following Mr. Borle through his ever changing personalities is the worthy Mr. Robert Creighton who capably does his share to shift from role to role, matching the scenes as he ranges from the stingy banker’s craven son to a preacher in World War I to a prince’s aide-de-camp and so on.

Naturally there are a whole host of others who make up Belle’s life:  Her mother Momma Schlumpfert, who, in Ms. Gealen Gilliland’s skilled hands, can make even the oldest profession seem naughtily respectable, the Buchsbaum brothers Bernie (Mr. Lee Wilkof) and Bennie (Mr. Lewis J. Stadlen) who memorably launch Belle into show business, Belle’s fascinated ghostwriter Patrick Dennis, played with amusing understatement by Mr. David Garrison and a delightful crew of talented ladies and gentlemen who range from the rag-tag denizens and highfalutin upper crust of Venezuela, Illinois to the various friends who flock around Belle at the close of her recollections.

With the changes in characters and the loosely linked scenes LITTLE ME is strongly reminiscent of the old Broadway review, Director John Rando firmly keeps the narrative focused and the action flowing, yet there is an improvised feel that is well in keeping with the tongue-in-cheek nature of the show.

Dance-wise too there is a sort of “why not?” atmosphere that matches well with the show’s air of intense parody.  Choreographer Joshua Bergasse covered a wide range of dance styles and never wastes a movement.  He and the cast were clearly having a ball with the material and their enjoyment is happily infectious.  Mr. Bergasse’s arrangement of the vaudeville number “Dimples” sung by Belle with her union-suit clad “police” backup was one of those hilariously outrageous moments of theater that will always be stuck in my memory.

This of course leads us to the songs with lyrics by Carolyn Leigh and music by Cy Coleman.  How can one fault such an enjoyable score with numbers like “Be a Performer!” and the standard “I’ve Got Your Number,” especially when the music is performed by the Encores! Orchestra conducted by Mr. Rob Berman?  Under his baton, Mr. Ralph Burns’ orchestrations sweep over the audience with real energy.  Mr. Berman is definitely into “Little Me” and the musicians and singers certainly benefit from his enthusiasm.

The look of the show keeps in with Encores! tendency towards lavish simplicity.  Mr. John Lee Beatty is certainly a master at using the outline of a house to indicate a hometown setting or placing a set of tables and some small backdrops to create a busy nightclub scene.  His scenic designs for LITTLE ME certainly always highlight the action and never draw the focus away from it even when Mr. Beatty slips in his own small visual wisecracks (such as the Buchsbaum Brothers nameplates “BENNIE”, “& BERNIE”).  With all the praise I have been lavishing on LITTLE ME it is downright curmudgeonly to mention a fault now, but I really think that Mr. Beatty ought to remember that the people in the upper gallery cannot fully see the back of the stage; so even if his wonderful gag backdrops get a large laugh from the lower two levels of the theatre, there is an entire third level of spectators that he excludes from the jokes because of he did not consider the sight lines.  If this happened once or twice, I might have overlook such a problem, but such joke screens set off each major scene and leave the upper seats feeling somewhat gypped.

Still it is impossible to be resentful when we also have Mr. Ken Billington’s atmospheric lighting and Sound Designer Scott Lehrer efforts adding their own running gag to the evening by visually and audibly expressing – with some frequency – what true love means to Belle and Noble.

Mr. Paul Tazewell adds his own measure of deviltry in his costumes for LITTLE ME.  They may echo the periods in which each scene is set, but they are never museum pieces – unless they need to be.  Young Belle’s costumes alone are a skillful sartorial map of her advancement in the world and slyly remind us all to what her rise is attributed to.

 It is a shame that this past Sunday evening was the final performance because as done at Encores! LITTLE ME clearly deserves further exposure.  It is a solid, entertaining show that reminds us how wonderful it is to simply have a good time at the theater and walk out afterwards with a broad grin and a strong desire to buy the show’s album.

About the reviewer:
I am a computer programmer, wannabe writer who loves theater and just got into the habit of inflicting my theatrical opinions.
I live in New York.

Moshe can be reached at MB1224@aol.com

  • Cast & Credits

    Book by Neil Simon
    Lyrics by Carolyn Leigh
    Music by Cy Coleman
    Based on the novel Little Me: The Intimate Memoirs of that Great Star of Stage, Screen
    and Television/Belle Poitrine
    , by Patrick Dennis
    Directed by John Rando
    Choreography by Joshua Bergasse
    Starring Christian Borle, Robert Creighton, David Garrison, Harriet Harris, Judy Kaye, Lewis J. Stadlen, Lee Wilkof, Tony Yazbeck, and Rachel York

    With Cameron Adams, Stanley Bahorek, Meggie Cansler, Gaelen Gilliland, Arlo Hill, Reed Kelly, Justin Keyes, Eloise Kropp, Josh Lamon, Jenny Laroche, Samantha Massell, Skye Mattox, Paul McGill, Jason Mills, Vivian Nixon, Lindsay O’Neil, Manuel Stark, Clay Thomson, Kathy Voytko, and Amos Wolff

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NYC Pride March & Dance 2013 ~ A Video & Photo Essay

Video & Photos of the 2013 NYC Pride March
and the famous

Dance on the Pier with CHER
June 30th 2013

Credits: Video and Photo Credits to the amazing Brad Naprixas