A History of The Folksbiene
The Lonesome Ship
by Moshe Dluzkowsky
1956-1957 Season
Radin Auditorium
128 Stanton Street
New York, NY
On December 29, 1956, in the Radin
Auditorium, there was staged under the direction of David Licht,
Di eynzame shif (The Lonesome Ship), a drama in
three acts by Moshe Dluzkowsky, with sets by Harry Baum.
The play was performed on ten
weekends.
About the offering, Dr. N.
Sverdlin writes:
" ... The ensemble has immersed
himself deeply in the fate of each of the heroes. They not only
played, but also expressed themselves with the pain of the bloodied
Jewish heart. ... Under David Licht's direction, the Folksbiene has
brought a smart, cultured performance."
S. Dingol writes:
" ... The play, the
direction, the acting were an amazement. It was a joy to see the will and the
power of a small group to give a performance that no major
theatre, including the Art Theatre, would be ashamed of."
B. Shefner writes:
" ... They portrayed a
multicolored gallery of living and whole characters who often
force you to forget that in front of us were actors who were
furthermore not professionals. it is a sublime production."
Chaim Ehrenreich writes:
" ... Everyone came. To everyone
who
participated in the performance; the playwright, the stage
director, the actor, the set designer, the person in charge of
lighting --- a very deep thank you. That they successfully
transformed the uncomfortable stage of the Radin Theatre, is a mystery and a revelation; they managed to conquer worlds
entirely on the deck of an old broken-down ship; They managed to
keep us -- the tired and exhausted New York spectator -- excited
from the very first second until the last."
Abraham Yudin remarks:
"This is a play that delves
into the viewer to the deepest depths. ... The drama cries out
with a mighty wrath and protest, with fierce anger and protest
against those who mean to forget what the Nazi beasts had done
to six-million Jews. ... It cannot be said that the play is
entirely free of defects. ... Here and there is a little too much
speech and some things go on too long. More editing would not hurt."
And Joel Entin writes:
" ... As for the directing itself,
it is excellent; almost all the actors and actresses performed well,
full of character, sincerely, convincingly --
for themselves and for the audience." |
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Renee Spector and Joshua Zeldis in "The
Lonesome Ship"
Photograph by the Ivan Busatt studio.
Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York. |
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The Cast of Characters: |
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The Synopsis: |
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Time: Summer,
1941
ACT I
(Six o'clock in
the morning)
For ten
long days and nights the cargo-ship "Esperance" is
sailing on the waters of the Atlantic in the
Spanish-Portuguese zone.
One
destiny awaits the several hundred people, mostly
Jews, whom the brave French Captain Leblan had
rescued from under the murderous German heels. Some
have hope and confidence in the savior, others do
not . . .
The sun
rises, after ten cloudy dismal days at sea. The sun
rises and . . . sets. And so rises the hope of the
people on the ship -- rises. . . and fades. The
periscope of a submarine is spotted. It is a German
submarine and is following the "Esperance." Why is
this armored monster trailing a cargo-ship with
unarmed, homeless and frightened people?
Hans
Kremer, the German Jewish actor is certain that:
"They are after our ship, they are out to destroy
us. . . I know them." The Bohemian wanderer, Henri
Posner thinks: "Our ship is like Noah's Ark."
A
radiogram is received that Captain Leblan is
condemned to death because he left port without the
permission of the German authorities.
Will this
Noah's Ark survive? . . .
ACT II
(Same
afternoon)
The "Esperance"
is without food or drinking water and the port of
Gibraltar is still far away.
The
submarine sends out a message: "Captain, there is a
spy, murderer and Jew aboard your ship, a man
bearing the name Victor Schlissel. If this criminal
is not surrendered by six in the evening, we will
torpedo the "Esperance."
Is then
the man really on board? The Germans will not take
"no" for an answer. He must be! If not. . .
Nothing
will help: Not the renegade talk of the former
singer, Karl Balsam, who in the presence of danger
and death, wants to renounce his Jewish faith . . .
nor the pleas and cries for pity . . . not even the
fantastic plan of the American, Florence Carmel, to
head the ship for the United States.
Does it
matter to the pursuers that Annette Feder, the
young, beautiful Parisian girl has just begun to
recognize life, the reality of life, and that here
on the ship she and Henri Posner have fallen love?
The "Esperance"
is in grave danger. Panic mounts. One suspects the
other of false identity. The Captain tries to
spread hope and encouragement, but gloom and despair
envelope everyone.
But -- "No
need to worry, play on, my guitar," philosophizes
the stoic Spaniard, Carlos Rodriguez, "many things
can happen in two hours" . . .
ACT III
Scene I
(Late
afternoon)
The
ultimatum is still in force, time is racing by and
running out -- and no miracle takes place on the "Esperance."
But
something does happen. One person is ready to
sacrifice his life in order to save these hundreds
of people. An act of pure humanism. Henri Posner's
love for Annette inspires him to heroism and
self-sacrifice. Can the brave and humane Captain
Leblan accept this sacrifice? Henri Posner wants to
surrender himself as Victor Schlissel . . .
Only a few
minutes and the ultimatum will be carried out . . .
And what
is to be later? What after the sacrifice? Is not
Victor Schlissel only an excuse? . . . But it is
important to gain time, time . . .
Time is
won for the price of a . . . life . . . a beautiful
life.
Scene II
(Evening of
same day)
The
armored monster makes new demands. He will not be
satisfied. He wants to annihilate everyone, even
the German woman on board who served the Germans
faithfully.
The first
torpedo is exploded. The "Esperance is damaged.
Two British airplanes arrive in time to hit and sink
the submarine.
The "Esperance"
has earned her name -- hope. And sailing to a port
of safety the several hundred rescued human beings
sing out a song of life . . . life, and a song of
thankfulness and praise . . . praise for their
heroic saviors -- Henri Posner and Captain Charles
Leblan.
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From right: Leo Pshepurka, Jacob
Holtz, Jacob Belogorsky, Nachmen Erlich, Renee Spector,
Anna Levine, Bronia Newman, Joshua Zeldis, Anna Tarle,
Morris Adler, Michael Neiditch, Hyman Zaner and Ely
Arnou. |
From left: Sara Stabin
and Bronia Newman
above photographs
courtesy of YIVO |
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Production photo from "The Lonesome Ship"
courtesy the "Lexicon of the Yiddish
Theatre"
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