A History of the Folksbiene

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A History of The Folksbiene

Backlane Center
by Elias Gilner

1961-1962 Season

Folksbiene Playhouse
175 East Broadway
New York, NY

		Sasha Gottlieb, Mina Kern and Zypora Spaisman
		Harry Rubin and Sasha Gottlieb Both photos courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York

A review from the New York Times, November 23, 1961

YIDDISH DRAMA ABOUT SUBURBIA OPENS

"Backlane Center," a somber survey of Jewish stress and strain in Suburbia, opened true to the traditions of Yiddish melodrama at the Folksbiene Playhouse last night. It will be given Saturday nights and twice on Sundays.

Elias Gilner was not so much interested in the foibles of life on the new hedge-lined frontiers that are yet another step further from the immigrants, gangplank, although he touched knowingly, but briefly, on some of the minor pretensions and activities. The playwright stet himself the goal of unveiling the brutality of conformity and the effect of the transition on the younger generation.

His tragic hero is the executive director of the center of the title role. He is embroiled in three crises. One pits him against the Babbitts and climbers, who invite as a guest speaker a reactionary congressman who speaks for forgiveness for the Nazis. A second has him pleading, unsuccessfully, with his daughter, who is in love with a German immigrant boy, the son of Nazi parents. A third finds him learning of the rejection of a manuscript he has written because "there is no market for truth."

These are not peculiarly suburban problems, and they even recall some of the earlier Yiddish plays in which the parents were torn emotionally by the move to uban America from the rural ghettos of East Europe. However, Mr. Gilner's play tackles its them earnestly and at times eloquently.

The drama is enhance by an expert performance under the direction of David Licht. His cast, with wonderfully mobile facial expressions, gestures and shrugs, strengthened somewhat the failings of the script. Harry Rubin as the center's executive has the deep voice and masterful manner that often distinguish the Yiddish tragedians.

In like manner, Zypora Spaisman, as his wife, has the mien of a woman who has known much suffering and expects more. Jack Wiener, Mina Kern and Morris Adler are villains whose iniquity precludes any desire to look at them in depth. Joshua Zeldis, Marvin Schwartz, Harry Friefeld and Max Strahl are convincing partisans of the hero. And Sarah Stabin, as the former Brownsville resident, supplied a happy and much needed comic leavening of the bread of sorrow that constituted the new offering.

-- Richard F. Shepard

The Cast of Characters:		The Synopsis:
		Place: American suburbia Time: Act One - December 29, 1952 Act one: Scene Two -- Same day in evening Act Two: December 30. Act Three: New Year's Eve ACT ONE Beylin, a talented man of high integrity, is a writer and the director of the Center. While Gloria, his wife, is brooding over his rejected manuscript, Cynthia, their daughter, maintains that lack of "sex" is the reason. The disagreement turns into altercation over Cynthia's infatuation with Alfred Stumpf, a German. Cynthia leaves in a huff to meet him. Gloria telephones her married son, Daniel, in Philadelphia, asking him to try to influence Cynthia to give up the German. Gloria wishes to shield her husband from added aggravation, as he is in conflict with the reactionary forces of the Center and is also not well. The issue will be resolved and Beylin's position in the Center determined at a meeting the following evening. Mrs. Betty Fishel, kindly, affluent woman whose son is interested in Cynthia. Morris Baum, the outgoing president, a simple, fair-minded and sensible man, support Beylin. Jack, who worships his father and Gloria, naturally stand by him. Tom, Jack's Gentile friend whom Beylin permits, with other Gentile youngsters, to use the sports facilities of the Center, admires him. Beatrice Lemmel, president of the Ladies' Auxiliary, Walter Haskel, an aspiring politician, thwarted in his designs by Beylin, and Walter's father, Maximilian, a wealthy plumber. The two-pronged conflict in this act finds expression in a violent encounter between him and Walter and a dramatic curtain scene between him, Cynthia and Gloria when Cynthia returns home late that night.

ACT TWO

The next day Jack and Tom practice trumpeting for participating with the Junior League in serenading Beylin the following night -- New Year's Eve. Gloria vainly tries to persuade Cynthia to go to Mrs. Fishel's New Year's Eve party. Daniel arrives. He and Gloria try to persuade Cynthia to give up Alfred but fail. Daniel leaves to see Alfred. Mrs. Lemmel arrives and, warning Gloria that Beylin, if adamant, would lose his job, tries to induce her to urge him to alter his stand. Gloria refuses.

Cynthia strongly supports her father. Mrs. Lemmel intimates that she knows of Cynthia's involvement with the German. Mrs. Fishel, who comes to invite Cynthia personally to the party, berates Mrs. Lemmel. Daniel returns. He has established that Alfred belonged to the Hitler Youth but feels differently now. Daniel has also learned that Alfred and Cynthia had fixed the wedding date. Gloria reproaches Cynthia and slaps her. Beylin enters and during the ensuing dramatic scene he learns that his MSS had been returned. While he is still under the impact of the blow, Morris Baum, Mrs. Lemmel and Maximilian Haskel arrive as a delegation endeavoring to persuade Beylin to admit his error. When he accuses Mrs. Lemmel and Haskel of contaminating the Center by trying to associate with "unclean" antisemitic politicians, Mrs. Lemmel retorts; "Do you manage to keep your own house from contamination?" The delegation decides to turn the case over to a Committee and leaves. Distressed, Beylin accuses Cynthia of exposing him to obloquy in the community.

ACT THREE

New Year's Eve. Beylin is waiting for the Committee's decision. At his insistence, Gloria, accompanied by her son Daniel, reluctantly leaves for her sister's birthday and New Year's Eve party, but consoled by the knowledge that Grisha Maslov, Beylin's Russian student friend whom he had not seen for decades, was coming with him to help her find a way, perhaps to persuade Alfred to become a Jew. Beylin shows her the futility of her request and the incompatibility of Hun and Jew. But she insists that she could not live without Alfred. Grisha arrives and the reunion is moving. When Baum comes, Grisha leaves to buy a bottle of champagne. Cynthia, torn between filial love and her ungovernable passion, yields to the latter and departs, leaving a letter. Baum informs Beylin of the Committee's decision to discharge him, unless he retracts. He refuses. Baum leaves, Beylin finds Cynthia's letter. This final blow brings on a stroke. Grisha returns with the champagne and calls an ambulance. Having telephoned and received no answer, Gloria and Daniel return. Church bells and pandemonium proclaiming the New Year are followed ironically by serenading.