A History of The Folksbiene
A Goldfaden Dream
by Abraham Goldfaden
1979-1980 Season
Central Synagogue Auditorium
123 East 55th Street
New York, NY
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Joshua Zeldis as Hotsmach in "A
Goldfaden Dream"
Courtesy of the Museum of the City of
New York.
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Synopsis
Scene 1
Backstage of a modern Jewish
operetta theatre. An old prompter, Oyzer, lovingly dusts the
costumes belonging to the now-seldom played Goldfaden characters
and reflects on the "good old days" of the Jewish theatre. Mr.
Hopke, the director, urges Oyzer to throw out the "old
rags" to make room for the costumes of his coming play. The
selection that Hopke renders so disgusts Oysher that the latter
drowns his sorrows in drink. Plaintively, he takes farewell of
his old friends; the old witch, Bobe Yakhne, the simpleton Kuni
Lemel, the peddler Hotzmach, and the unhappy orphan Mirele, all
Goldfaden characters. he falls asleep and dreams.
Scene 2
The garden of Mirele's home. In
his dream, Oyzer learns from Mirele that her beloved Marcus has
disappeared, and that her stepmother and Nosson Hakoen,
matchmaker, urge her to marry Kuni Lemel Oyzer is bewildered by
this strange phenomenon in which characters belonging to
different Goldfaden operetta are brought together. Seeing Kuni
Lemel and Nosson Hakoen before his eyes convinces him of the
seriousness of Mirele's plight. He decides to save her by taking
her away to the home of Hotzmach, the very poor peddler who
always tries to be of help.
Scene 3
Hotzmach's home. Hotzmach
playfully tries to make his three daughters forget their needs:
a dress for Tzippe, a pair of shoes for Zlatte, and a groom for
Soshe. Oyzer recalls their stage days, solicits Hotzmach's aid
for Mirele and gets a promise from him to help her find Marcus.
Scene 4
The Market Place. Times are hard
and competition is very keen. Hotmach, in his quest for
business, comes upo two other men identical with him in name and
appearance and also having three daughters with the same needs.
Together they attempt to buy linen from a merchant on credit but
fail. All he gets is a sample card. Hotzmach I succeeds in
selling his to a provincial customer as twenty yards of cloth.
Oyzer and Mirele also come to the market in search of Marcus.
They all turn to Bobe Yakhne, now a fortune teller, for help.
She is elated, meeting her Goldfaden friends, and she very
sorrowfully relates that recently Mr. Hopke did not allow her,
"The Old Witch," the famous Goldfaden character, to enter his
theatre Upon reading her cards, she learns of Marcus'
whereabouts, provides Hotzmach with enough money for a horse and
bids him speed in his search for Marcus.
Scene 5
In the Forest. Hotzmach rides in
on his horse, like Don Quixote. Exhausted by his search for
Marcus, he strethes out to rest and falls asleep. Before him
appears his late wife who commands him to provide for his
daughters' needs; and the fooled customer upbraids him, and he
is told that only dire poverty and desperation compelled him to
resort to such behavior. The customer, moved by these pleas,
gives Hotzmach some money. The dream gives him some comfort, for
there his daughter's needs are fully realized. The entrance of
the other Hotmach's awakens him. Together all three go off to
find Marcus.
Disguised as a Kuni Lemel, Marcus
enters and finds himself face to face with the original Kuni
Lemel. The latter, accompanied by Nosson Hakoen, is looking for
the vanished Mirele. The two Kuni Lemels create a scene
quarreling over Mirele and attract the attention of everyone in
the forest, including a tsarist policeman. he is looking for an
escaped political prisoner. Upon learning that all assembled
belong to the Jewish theatre, he proclaims that performances in
Yiddish in the tsarist realm have been banned. A bribe saves the
situation and the policeman is soon off.
The original Kuni Lemel begs
Mirele to go back with him, but he is chased away by everyone.
Then Marcus appears, removes his disguise and is joyfully
received. To Oyzer the happy ending conveys this meaning: that
Goldfaden does not desert his characters, and that "good
eventually triumphs." Merriment and jollity ensue.
Scene 6
Backstage again. Oyzer, very much
encouraged by his dream, awakes and decides to leave Mr. Hopke
and his theatre. He is determined to help build a real Jewish
Folks Theatre based on the best literary and theatrical
traditions. |
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A
review of this play appeared in the New York Times, November 13,
1979:
"Yiddish Stage: 'A Goldfaden Dream'
by Richard F. Shepard
Abraham Goldfaden, the founder of
modern Yiddish theater more than a century ago, peopled the
stage with characters that became part of Yiddish folklore and
expression. In "A Goldfaden Dream," the colorful musical now
being done weekends by the Folksbiene, they parade past the eye
like those joyful balloon figures in the Thanksgiving Day
parade.
This Yiddish production is a piece
of fine folk art in itself. It consists of texts by Goldfaden,
Itzik Manger and Jakub Rotbaum, director of the Jewish State
Theater in Poland, who adapted this piece and its director. With
music by Goldfaden and Henoch Kon and performed by a five-piece
orchestra, and choreography by F.J. Fibich, it vibrates with
authentic echoes of the past. At the same time, for the fluent
Yiddishist, it is also lovely entertainment.
Because folklore is often the
stuff of dreams, it makes sense that this catch-all of Goldfaden
creations should take place within the framework of a dream.
It is a dream of Oyzer, the prompter, who has just been ordered
to throw out the costumes left from old Goldfaden plays. A brash
and flamboyant director needs the space for his new costumes, to
make way for the flashy and fleshy productions of the new wave
that is cheapening Yiddish theater.
In Yiddish theater, one must
remember, even the fun often carries a moral, and "A Goldfaden
Dream" has several that touch on culture and Jewish survival and
Jewish ethics.
The dream is about the impending
marriage to Kuni Lemel, the beloved stammering and limping fool
whose name became part of the everyday tongue, to Mirele, the
beautiful and unhappy orphan who really wants to wed Marcus, a
handsome young fellow. The Goldfaden creations all appear, to
help or hinder, among them Bobe Yachne, the witch; Hotzmach, the
peddler; Nosson Hakoen, the matchmaker. There are songs, the old
songs. The best known of them, perhaps, is "Rozhinkes Mit
Mandl'n," the popular Raisins With Almonds," that had the
audience reminiscently humming along.
The show is perfectly cast with
young and old performers. Joshua Zeldis is touching as the
prompter, and Leon Liebgold has a veritable Pooh Bah personality
as the matchmaker. Jack Rechtzeit is a wellspring of humor and
tenderness as the peddler. It is a large ensemble, and all
deserve on-the-spot citations, and one hesitates to skim a few
names off, such as I. Firestone, who makes a wonderfully nasty
director, and a laughable Kuni Lemel, or Zypora Spaisman, who is
a wonderful Jewish witch, or Morris Adler, who handles several
roles with dexterity, or, or -- well, they all know their
business and do it expertly.
The sets and costumes designed by
Jadwiga Przeradzka capture the fairy-tale quality that permeates
"A Goldfaden Dream." Anyone interested in Yiddish theatre must
see this landmark production. |
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Joshua Zeldis as Hotsmakh in "A
Goldfaden Dream"
Courtesy of the Museum of the City of New York. |
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