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MENDEL SPIVACK1,
by
Semion Yushkevich
(Yiddish: Mendel spivak)
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“The
present play adds a brief but
infinitely moving chapter to the
short and simple annals of the
poor," of the insulted and injured,
of the downtrodden and sorrow-laden. It relates an episode from
the life of Mendel Spivack, a humble
watchman, who is a cross between a
medieval saint and 'Bontze the
Silent' (the hero of a famous story
by I. L. Peretz), into Mendel's
bleak and frustrated life there
enters a ray of sunshine in the
shape of a son with which his wife
presents him in the eleventh year of
their married life, -- their first
child. The arrival of his first-born
fills Mendel not only with joy, but
with a sense of importance, making
him feel as though he were the
central figure of an unusual drama.
But his happiness is short-lived,
for the child, whose delivery
necessitated a Caesarian operation,
dies in its seventh day -- that is,
on the eve of what to
Mendel
was to be the climax of the drama, namely, the
rite of circumcision. Out of such simple
material the author fashions a powerful play
which attains to the very depths of pathos,
pity, and tenderness, while avoiding the
pitfalls of sentimentality. The play contains a
number of skillfully, delineated characters, and
there is many a humorous touch to relieve the
general atmosphere of misery and gloom. Semion
Yushkevich, the author of 'Mendel Spivack,' is
an outstanding figure in contemporary Russian
letters. He has written numerous novels, short
stories, and plays, one of which, entitled
'Miserere,' was produced by the Moscow Art
Theatre. A Yiddish version of his comedy 'The
Luftmensch' was staged last year by the Yiddish
Art Theatre. He now resides in Paris."1 |
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photo:
Bernard Geiling, as Moishele, a
fiddler, in "Mendel Spivack" |
"Mendel Spivack" is a play in three acts, which
opened on 23 December 1926 at the Yiddish Art
Theatre on 12th Street and Second Avenue, NYC.
This was the ninth season for the Yiddish Art
Theatre troupe, and their second production of
the season. The play was translated from the
Russian by Lazar Freed and was directed by
Maurice Schwartz; Settings by Alexander Chertoff;
Louis N. Jaffe, Lessor: Anbord Theatre Corp.,
Lessee.
The cast members
were (in alphabetical order): Bina Abramowitz,
Celia Adler, Anna Appel, Miriam Bobrov, Joseph
Buloff, Izidore Casher, Bernard Gailing, Berta
Gerstin, Mrs. Goldberg, Wolf Goldfaden, Ruth
Goldstein, M. Greenberg, Luba Kadison, Abraham
Kubansky, Minnie Paulinger, Sonia Radina,
Michael Rosenberg, Leah Rosenzweig, Maurice
Schwartz, Pincus Sherman, Anna Teitelbaum and
Boris Weiner.
So, here is the
synopsis of Yushkevich's "Mendel Spivack". The
name of the actor who portrayed a particular
role is in parentheses):
SYNOPSIS
ACT ONE
Zivyah (Anna Appel),
Mendel's only sister, and her children are
starving because her husband David Mayer (Izidore
Casher), a tailor by trade, is out of work.
Shloimka, a crippled cobbler (Joseph Buloff)
comes in and begs Zivyah to hide him from his
wife. Mani Gittel (Anna Teitelbaum), who would
have him stick all day to his last, while he
prefers to steal away every now and then to his
friend Moishela (Bernard Gailing), a fiddler,
whose playing makes him think he is a doctor
instead of a mere cobbler. He is soon overtaken
by his pursuing spouse, who cajoles him into
returning to work. Yankela (Lea Rosenzweig), one
of Zivyah's children, cries for a morsel of
bread, and Mani Gittel goes to collect some
money from her husband's customers in order to
lend it to Zivyah. David Mayer, blunt, gruff,
but kindly withal, returns home in bad humor
because of his failure to find a job. He urges
Zivyah to go to her mother Miriam (Sonya Radina)
for a few pennies with which to buy bread, but
she refuses, having already borrowed eight
rubles from her mother during the last few
weeks. She proposes that he apply to some
charity institution for aid, but he indignantly
declines. At this moment Mendel (Maurice
Schwartz) enters and announces that his wife
Hannah'la (Celia Adler), after ten years of
childlessness, has given birth to a child. His
joy strikes no responsive chord in David Mayer
and Zivyah. He soon learns that they are
starving, and though himself unemployed these
six months, he gives them all the loose change
he has. Thereupon they grow friendly but soon
fly into a rage on hearing that Miriam has given
Mendel four rubles with which to prepare for the
festivities attendant upon the forthcoming
circumcision of his newborn son. Mendel allays
the storm by letting them have half of his
mother's money, and now they listen
good-naturedly as he prattles on about his plans
for the child's future, The news of the birth of
a son to Mendel travels rapidly, and soon all
the neighbors rush in to congratulate the happy
father.
ACT TWO
At Mendel's home,
the same day. Anna (Mrs. Goldberg), the midwife,
considers her work done and prepares to leave.
Hannah'la's aunt Nehamah (Bina Abramowitz) -- a
coarse, superstitious, loquacious, but kindly
old soul arrives in the company of a young girl
named Peshka (Berta Gerstin). Nehamah is sure
the baby's illness is due to an "evil eye" and
proceeds to pronounce a prayer calculated to
ward off the spell. Mendel enters, followed by a
poor man he has picked up in the street. He
gives the latter something to eat, and only the
protests of his wife and his aunt prevent him
from giving him also longing for the night.
Hannah'la is distressed, while Nehamah is
positively furious, on hearing that Mendel has
given his sister two rubles, but his good nature
and childlike simplicity silence their protests.
Presently a number of relatives and friends,
including Moishela, come in to congratulate
Mendel and Hannah'la. Moishela strikes up a
merry tune and all dance.
ACT THREE
Eve of that great
day when every Jewish man-child is made a party
to Abraham's covenant with the Lord. In
accordance with an immemorial custom among the
Jews of Eastern Europe, friends gather on that
eve at the home of the newly born to keep watch
over it; also for a good time. Aunt Nehamah, far
from being ably assisted by the clumsy Peshka,
is busy setting Mendel's house in order and
preparing refreshments, upon which Peshka makes
frequent raids. Mendel comes in with some fruit
he has purchased for the party and is glad to
hear that his wife is asleep, the baby's growing
illness having kept her awake all night. Zivyah
and Miriam rush in all excited and out of
breath. They report they have just called on Mr.
Flax (Wolf Goldfaden), the superintendent of the
hospital where Mendel used to be employed as
watchman, and informed him of the latter's
plight, The superintendent, it seems, was not
even aware that Mendel had been discharged and
was shocked to hear it. And now he and his wife
are coming to Mendel to question him about the
matter and also to congratulate him on the birth
of a son. The prospect of entertaining such
distinguished guests sets them all aflutter, and
their preparations to give them a fitting
reception are quite amusing. Nehamah now packs
Hannah'la and the baby off to the kitchen, for
she has heard that Mrs. Flax (Miriam Bobroff)
possesses an "evil eye." Relatives and friends
arrive, and are presently followed by Mr. and
Mrs. Flax. Mr. Flax not only reinstates Mendel
in his old position at the hospital, but
declares that he is going to punish the minor
official responsible for Mendel's dismissal, but
the latter begs him not to. Mr. and Mrs. Flax
leave, and the overjoyed Mendel rushes off to
the hospital with a note from the superintendent
ordering his reinstatement. The guests, now
augmented by the arrival of some young folks,
ask Moishela to play so they can dance, and the
fiddler who once dreamt of becoming a stage
artist, and who now tries to drown his
disappointment in drink, is ready to oblige.
Hannah'la implores them to be quiet, as the baby
is getting worse every minute, but youth insists
on having its fling. The music and dancing
suddenly cease when the frantic mother screams
that the baby is dying. Zivyah runs for Mendel.
When the latter returns home, the child is
already dead. For once in his life, the gentle,
serene, and infinitely patient man rebels
against his fate and accuses Heaven of playing a
joke on him. But the note of rebellion soon
gives way to one of helpless sorrow and the
heartbroken father voices his grief in words of
almost unendurable pathos.
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