Page 46

DETROIT JEWISH CHRONICLE

Thursday, September 22 ,1149

have taken to appearing at Jew-
ish vacation resorts and at wed-
I dings and banquets, thus, in a
sense, extending the walls of the
th eatre.
•
A few have appeared in Yid-
! dish films . TI Yddi
i
h cinema
•

UNCLE AVB)11M was trying
to promote a holiday trip from
his nephew.
"A round trip to the coast is a
good investment," he insisted.
"You get a return on your
money!"

C ultural Forces Seal

Exit -of Yiddish, Theater

,-

(From Roston Jewish Advocate)

THE YIDDISH THEATRE offers an interesting example of 17
the best wishes in the world cannot stop the irresistible advance
of new cultural forces. The theatre's decline is being artificially
halted, but it is part of an inevitable. if awkward and uncertain,
shaping of new patterns in American Jewish life.
Only two major Yiddish vt- 4'
ing companies remain to put on problem of Whither the Yiddish
full-length productions in some- theatre? However vigorously the
thing of the old splendid tradi- Yiddishists may argue that the
tion of the 1900's: Maurice language is alive, the stubborn
Schwartz's and Menasha Skul- fact is that fewer and fewer
nick's. The two are poles apart American Jewish children learn
both in intention and achieve- Mainaloshen.
ment.
•
Maurice Schwartz has been
STRICTLY COMEDY
striving for more than a quarter
Menasha Skulnick"s method of
of a century to keep alive a seri-
dealing with the problem of lan-
ous stage. His productions, in
guage is to produce musical com-
classical Yiddish, whether adap-
tat' , ns of Shakespeare or of Sho- edies in a patois half-Yiddish,
half-American—a 'jargon widely
len' Aleichem, are infused with
understood in New York. Also.
a high spirit of dedication.
his themes and settings are con-
There is nothing frivolous temporary.
LEVI EMITKOT„ Premier David
allout a Maurice Schwartz play.
He has been criticized for the Ben Gurion's ace trouble-
Unfortunately, he addresses him-
self to a limited 'audience—to the tone of his comedies, which are shooter, is known as the "Har-
not much above low-grade music ry Hopkins" of Israel. This
people from Eastern Europe.
hall. There are no cultural pre- distinguished soldier-statesman
• • •
tences in a Skulnick play. --
served with the Jewish Legion
URGE SUPPORT •
A slight, sad-faced man, Me- under General Allenby in
THE YIDDISH PRESS—itself
nasha,
as
he
is
fondly
called
, has World War 1 and later became
In a decline — and Jew ish
organizations regularly deplore captured something of the qual- one of the founders of De-
ganya.
the decay of the theatre and urge ity of a folk-hero in his portrait
the Jewish population to support of a frightened little Shlemiel, a
Schwartz and other serious ar- physical and intellectual under- reaches wide audiences and con-
dog, facing a world in every way
tists.
tains in highly concentrated form
superior to him.
But the unalterable fact is that
the ingredients of popular Jew-
His only weapons are an an- ish drama.
the audience for a Schwartz pro-
duction is' simply disappearing. cient wit and an insouciant shrug
It would be a mistake to limit
The Yiddish theatre has been of the shoulders. He is in the the discussion of the Jewish the-
great
tradition
of
sad
clowns,
reduced to a week-end enter-
a atre only to productions rooted
prise for a few months a year . tradition he reinforceg with the in Second avenue.
It remains open longer—it re- earthly wisdom of Yiddish
Contemporary Jewish life has
mains alive, some observers have humor.
inspired a number of Broadway
Skulnick has not had a finan-
remarked, only because of "bene-
plays, notably those of Clifford
fits" which fill the theatres dur- cially unsuccessful season in the Odets in the 30's, as well as Holly-
last
15
years.
Famous
Broadway
ing the week and extend the
wood film (in which, however,
season.
comedians have visited Second
the Jewishness has been consid-
An organization secures the avenue to study his style.
erably masked) and radio serials.
But like Schwartz, he appeals
tickets for the entire house, at
"The Goldbcrgs" is an im-
lower rates: almost forces them chiefly to an audience whose
upon its members, at regular background is in Eastern Europe, mensely popular "continued"
prices: pockets the profits: and and has not enough to say to radio play that has been going on
for what seems like decades and
young Jewish Americans.
the show is able to continue.
Yet Skulnick has been attacked has just now been transferred to
Since many members may not
care to see the play, a theatre on the score that his comedies are g television (with a little Irish
may often be nearly empty al- not actually Jewish, that his Yid- b irl playing one of Mrs. Gold-
though all the tickets have been dish is a corrupt version of the erg's children).
sold.
language and that he has yielded
• • •
to cheap popular demand in his
productions.
ROSH HASHONAH
'SHYLOCK'S DAUGHTER'
• • •
A GREAT MANY young peo-
GREETINGS ...
ple went to see "Shylock's Daugh- GO TO RESORTS
BESIDES THE THEATRES
ter." last year's production which
obtained for Schwartz much pub- housing Schwartz and Skulnick,
licity in the general press. (This there are several others along
was an interesting but far-fetched Second avenue and in the Bronx
re-writing of "The Merchant of and Brooklyn, where small com-
Venice," which brought the Shy- panies stage traditional Jewish
lock sub-plot into prominence. melodramas, vaudeville sketches
Shylock is awarded the pound of and musical numbers which are
6925-31 Lafayette. East
flesh but cannot take it, in spite often alternated with Yiddish
LO. 7-6500
of all provocations, ''because he films.
is a Jew.")
Many performers in Yiddish ,
During the performance, there
was an undercurrent of whispered
.
t
translation for the benefit of
those whose Yiddish was rusty
NEW YEAR'S GREETINGS
or non-existent.
The understanding of Yiddish
Is, of course, basic to the whole

`Harry Hopkins'

• •

INDIAN
VILLAGE
CLEANERS

It has offered a serene, not un-
realistic portrait of everyday low-
er middle-class Jewish life in New
York.
! Mrs. Goldberg's language is a
heavily accented Englisfi, with
occasional common Yiddish
words.(The infiltration into gen-
eral colloquial American speech
of many Yiddish expressions is
by the way, an odd phenomenon.)
• • •
BROADWAY STEPS IN
AN INTERESTING POINT
about the hazardous development
of the Yiddish theatre is that
whenever a production or per-
sonality on Second avenue has
achieved a wider appeal, Broad-
way or Hollywood has often
stepped in.
Several of Schwartz's produc-
tions received the approving at-
tention of Broadway critics.
' Molly Picon, long a Second ave-
nue favorite, recently appeared
' in a Broadway play. (She is
scheduled to return to Second
avenue next season.)
And two other widely-known
players, Paul Muni and Joseph
Hulot( came from Seccind avenue.
The Yiddish theatre may not
be dead, but it seems obvious
that it cannot long survive, even
in its present attenuated form,
on appeals to nostalgia and a
vague duty alone.
Perhaps, Skulnick's compro-
mise is not the happiest one, but
many think that he has taken a
step that is helping survival.

NEW YEAR'S

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