Visit                  Exhibitions                    Collections                  Research                  Learning                  About                  Site Map                  Contact Us                  Support

 


 

A History of The Folksbiene
 

The Blacksmith's Folly
by David Pinski

1997-1998 Season

Central Synagogue Auditorium
123 East 55th Street
New York, NY

 


   

 

Hy Wolfe and Rachel Botchan in "The Blacksmith's Folly"
Courtesy of YIVO.

 

 
A review of the play appeared in the New York Times on January 1, 1998:

Fickle Yankl the Blacksmith Weds, but Is He Made of Iron?
by Lawrence Van Gelder

At the Folksbiene Yiddish Theater, the vehicle creaks, but the ride packs enjoyment.

The company that bills itself as the nation's oldest Yiddish-speaking theater is off and running in its eighty-second year of continuous performances with "The Blacksmith's Folly," a musical drama based on one of David Pinski's Yiddish classics, "Yankl der Schmid" ("Yankl the Smith").

Playing until Jan. 18 and accompanied by simultaneous English and Russian translations through earphones, this is a work that poses a question -- can the leopard change his spots?  -- can the leopard change his spots? -- and then proceeds to take its sweet time delivering a predictable answer.

But there is plenty of fun and pleasure along the way: neatly acted characters who radiate soul, a journey into both old-time theater and Ukraine of 1906, warm humor, concern for decency, sprightly and sentimental music and lyrics and the singing of a baritone named Alexander Gunko.

Mr. Gunko, a graduate of the State Conservatory of Music in Odessa in Ukraine, possesses a beautiful voice and the ability to imbue a song with depths of feeling; although he plays a subsidiary role, a character called The Stranger, this production wisely uses him as much as possible.

All these elements surround and grow out of the story of Yankl (Hy Wolfe), the handsome, stalwart, skirt-chasing, hard-drinking village smith.

The object of desire of all the younger women in town, he falls madly in love with the sweet Tamara (Rachel Botchan), the pretty, orphaned niece of Frume (Zypora Spaisman). When Tamara accepts the proposal he tenders through the local matchmaker, Khaye Peshe (Mina Bern), Yankl says his love has transformed him into a new man. He marries and becomes a seemingly fulfilled and happy husband and father. But then, in a moment of weakness, he is cornered at is blazing forge by the scheming seductress Rivke (Ibi Kaufman), an ill-tempered woman who abused Rafoyl (I.W. Firestone), her husband.

Will Yankl revert to his old ways? Will Tamara pack up her little boy and leave home? Will the hissable Rivke finally succeed in provoking Rafoyl into giving her a divorce?

"The Blacksmith's Folly" doesn't even get around to posing the questions until the second act, after it has introduced the villagers and given Ms. Bern and Ms. Spaisman, two stalwarts of Yiddish theater, a chance to work their impishly mischievous wiles on characters and audience alike.

No matter. Under the direction of Daniel Banks, with a book adapted by Michal Greenstein and music assembled by Zalmen Mlotek, "The Blacksmith's Folly," like its protagonist, has the strength to overcome its weakness.

 
 

The Cast of Characters:

 

 

 

Ibi Kaufman (left), as Rivke, and Richard Carlow as Rafoyl.

 

The action takes place in a small village in the Ukraine, circa 1906


 

ACT ONE:


 

Scene 1:   Dvoyre's Tavern
 

Scene 2:   Tavern 
 

Scene 3:   Reb Aron's House, The Next Day
 

Scene 4:   Reb Aron's House


 

ACT TWO:


 

Scene  I:   Yankl's House, One Year Later
 

Scene  2:   Yankl's House, The Bris, One Month Later
 

Scene 3:    Yankl's Smithy, The Same Day
 

Scene 4:    Yankl's House, The Next Morning

 

Mina Bern (left) et al.

Hy Wolfe as Yankl, and Rachel Botchan as Tamara.

Synopsis

Act I

 

Scene I - Dvoyre's Tavern
 

Yankl, the Smith, arrives at the tavern after a day's work.  Rivke is waiting for him, and tries to avoid her husband,  Rafoyl. Khaye Peshe, the matchmaker arrives, and talks with Yankl about setting up a match for him.  At this moment Frume and Tamara, Reb Aron's niece, appear through a window outside the tavern.  Yankl and Tamara see each other, and it is love at first sight.

Scene 2 - Tavern
 

Yankl commissions Khaye Peshe to make the match for him with Tamara.  He does not even require a dowry; he is so smitten with her.  Despite her better judgement, Khaye Peshe is moved by the depth of Yankl's emotions, and agrees to talk to Tamara's aunt and uncle.

Entr'acte -- The Stranger sings a song about a drunk, and the kind of life he leads, a life of love and pain.

Scene 3 - The next day, Shabbos, Reb Aron's  House
 

Frume is reading as Khaye Peshe lets herself in, having found the front door open.  She tells Frume that Yankl wants to marry Tamara, and that he is waiting outside for an answer.  Tamara returns home, and Khaye and Frume tell Tamara that someone is interested in her.  They sing a song about matchmaking.  They then tell Tamara her suitor's name - Yankl, der Shmid.  Tamara tells Khaye Peshe that she will marry Yankl.  Khaye Peshe exits to give Yankl the good news.

Reb  Aron arrives home, and Frume tells him about Tamara's engagement, but will not tell him the suitor's name until after he makes Havdalah.  They make Havdalah, and then Frume identifies Tamara's intended as Yankl, der Shmid. Reb Aron strongly opposes the match, but Tamara insists.  She tells her aunt and uncle not to worry about the old Yankl because she will make a new man out of him.
 

Scene 4 - Reb Aron's House

Khaye Peshe brings Yankl and his father, Simkhe, to greet Tamara and her family.  Yankl and Tamara are left alone to talk while the others go into the next room.  Yankl promises to reform, and they sing a song about their love for each other.  The others come back in the room, and Rivke and Rafoyl arrive, having heard the news earlier from Khaye Peshe.  Rivke, jealous, asks Tamara if she will exchange husbands -- Yankl for Rafoyl.  She receives no answer, and storms out with Rafoyl, chasing after her.  The act ends with everyone toasting the new bride and groom ... Mazl-tov!

Act 2
 

Scene 1 - Yankl and Tamara's House, One Year Later

Tamara is pregnant. We begin to see Yankl in a new light. He is an adoring husband. As he is serving Tamara tea, Khaye Peshe arrives with Simkhe. They come to tell the couple of the marriage troubles that Rafoyl and Rivke are having. She has, in fact, hit him. Rivke wants a divorce, and she wants to rent the empty room in Yankl and Tamara's house.

Just at this moment, Rivke arrives, to the great consternation of all involved; they are worried about Yankl being tempted by Rivke living under the same roof. Tamara takes Rivke to see the room. While they are gone Simkhe and Yankl quarrel. Yankl wants his family to have more faith in him. Simkhe storms out, telling Yankl that as long as Rivke is in his home, he will never set foot there again. Meanwhile, Rivke has approved of the room and goes to get her things. Tamara returns, and she and Yankl fight. The seed of doubt has been planted -- does Yankl know himself? Does Tamara really know Yankl? Has he truly changed from his former self?

Rafoyl arrives, bruised by his fight with Rivke. He does not want Rivke to stay with Yankl and Tamara either, reminding them that she has always had her eye on Yankl. Yankl is enraged by Rafoyl's insinuations and chases him out.

Then Reb Aron and Frume arrive, having closed their shop in the middle of the day. They too are worried about the news. Yankl was about to decide not to let Rivke stay, but because of everybody's fears he decides to prove to them that he has truly change, and he berates them for meddling. The scene ends with Rivke's arrival.

Scene 2 - One Month Later

Everybody celebrates the Bris of Yankl and Tamara's son.

Entr'acte
The Stranger sings a melancholic song about life as a smith, his work, and his quest for freedom and peace.

Scene 3 - Yankl's Smithy

Yankl goes to the smithy in his holiday clothes, a little drunk. Rivke is waiting for him there, working. Yankl goes into the next room to change, and Rafoyl arrives. he tries to win Rivke back by offering her a string of pearls that one of his clients pawned but never redeemed. She wants nothing to do with him and chases him away. Yankl comes back with his work clothes on, drinking a bottle of whiskey. Things start to heat up between Yankl and Rivke, despite Yankl's efforts to control himself. She reels him in, pretending she does not see her effect on him. Finally they kiss. Dvoyre, the innkeeper, and Leah, the seamstress, come in and they all tease him, singing a song about "Other Girls." Frume and Rafoyl come in as Yankl and Rivke are dancing. Frume kicks Rivke out of the smithy. Tamara enters and takes Yankl home to sleep it off.

Scene 4 - Yankl's House, The Next Morning

Tamara calls Yankl in from the smithy for tea. He enters reluctantly. Tamara is anxious to resolve the previous day's troubles, and she asks for a morning kiss. But his kiss is cold. Yankl leaves, and Tamara sings a sad lullaby to her child.

Frume enters. She tells Tamara that she just saw Yankl leaving Dvoyre's Tavern. Frume talks about kicking Rivke out of the house. Tamara is afraid that Yankl has slipped back into his old ways and feels that if it had not been with Rivke, it would have been with another woman. Tamara keeps saying that something must happen, something to make Yankl come to his senses.

Simkhe arrives. Also he tries to convince Tamara to throw Rivke out. There is a noise in the hall. Rivke enters, followed by Rafoyl. She has found him sleeping on the oven in the hall, in front of her room. He has been guarding her door to make sure Yankl doesn't visit her. She chases him around the room before being chased out of the room, herself, by Frume. Tamara kicks out Rafoyl. Simkhe and Frume exit.

Rivke comes back in and tells Tamara that Yankl kissed her last night, and they should wait to see whom Yankl wants to stay, and whom he wants to leave. Tamara tells Rivke that she should stay, takes her child and starts out. Yankl enters and sees Tamara leaving. He confronts Rivke about their conversation. He fears that he has lost Tamara for good and orders Rivke to leave. Tamara enters and sees this. What she was waiting for has happened.

Rafoyl comes back, sees Yankl rage at Rivke, and takes her home with him.

Yankl and Tamara are now finally alone. He declares his love for her and promises that through work he will be able to keep temptation away. Voices call from the smithy -- a return to work, a return to love. The whole company sings, rejoicing in the couple's re-found love. A Glezele l'khayim -- To Life!
 

 

Mina Bern, as Khaye Peshe, the Matchmaker

 




 

next >>







 

Copyright © Museum of the Yiddish Theatre. All rights reserved.