They asked to be brought over to
America. They, together with other actors, should be sent ship cards,
and they promised that they would create a Yiddish theatre in
America that has "never been there before." (In that time they
wrote in German.)
-- A theatre in New York!
Thomashefsky called out -- Akh, vi
vunderbar! (Ah, how wonderful!), Vi erhaben! (How
sublime!), Donnerwetter! (Gosh!), a Yiddish theatre in New
York.
Every worker was excited about this place,
but how ?! Ship cards are required for several actors. The
workers have little to gain, and every one of them has paid for
a ship card to take over his own relatives.
Yiddish theatre in New York. This must
happen! -- Boris Thomashefsky repeated again that he would not
rest until he carried out his plan.
At that time Boris Thomashefsky was a choirboy for
a cantor in the Henry Street School. Every Sabbath, after
praying, he used to go for Kiddush to someone by the name of
Frank Wolf, who had a pub on Hester Street. The latter was a
follower of cantors and singers.
Thomashefsky told him about the importance of
having a Yiddish theatre in New York. He told him that a troupe
could be brought over from London to play theatre, and this
would be good business, and that he wanted do it. He can be the owner, the impresario, the
proprietor of a theatre.
The pub owner was persuaded, and he sent ship cards for the
actors from London.
In around a couple of weeks the troupe arrived from London. In
the troupe were the two Golubok brothers, and a prima donna with
the name of Krantzfeld.
For the first production the pub owner Frank Wolf took Turn
Hall, on 4th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Avenue.
They staged Goldfaden's "Koldunye." They
engaged Mr. and
Mrs. Spector, who came from Odessa.
The young Boris Thomashefsky was rewarded for his effort and
work and strategy. On the poster it was said that the
world-famous singer, Master Boris Thomashefsky, will be ingsing:
"Heyse bobkelekh, idelekh, koyft! ..." (Hot Bobkes, Jews,
Buy!)
Ticket were sold out like
matzo-water. Everything was going as it
needed to be. The mood was high. The actors dressed, removing
the poverty of London; they put on big top hats, and they began to stalk
about with haughty heads across the New York Jewish neighborhoods. Not
only the actors then , but also the patrioten [fans] were
dressed up in top hats.
This was the first time that Boris Thomashefsky had worn a top
hat. This was in the year 1882, and until the last days of his
life, he had never again wore a top hat.
The first managers of the Yiddish theatre were the Golubok
brothers and Boris Thomashefsky.
In that time there was organized an immigration committee that
was interested in the condition of the immigrating Jews. The
pogroms in Russia had a great effect. The Jews in the former
America had done very well. The German Jews were the leaders of
the immigration committee. They helped with money, and they
would also
help with testimony.
The committee of German Jews strongly disliked Goldfaden's "Kishuf-makherin
(The Sorceress)." They gave two reasons. First, one of the
heroes, Hotzmakh, was a swindler. He feeds on his customers.
This implied that we Jews were confirming the claims of the anti-Semites, that
Jews are swindlers, and secondly that they do not like what they play
in Yiddish. "This is not any language," they said, "This is only
a crippled German, and it is not nice to speak it in public."
Calls were sent to the directors of the theatre, which was
delivered, and the president of the immigration committee
rebuked them with an angry voice.
"Shande un shmakh (Shame)!", he said to them: "You
embarrass us German Jews with your actions. You play theatre in
Yiddish, phooey! It is not in vain that you were expelled from
Russia. You will also be expelled from America." Instead of
being an idler and a loafer, an actor, learn a trade and you
will be useful people and be an honor to us German Jews, who
want to help you."
The directors of the theatre were
startled in the first few minutes. They thought that they would
soon be sent back to Russia. But the pub owner from Hester
Street delivered another speech to them, and in exact Yiddish
told people, and also to them said thus:
"Don't be greenhorns and listen to the German Jews like fading show.
They cannot do anything to you. Here in America, you have a
right to play theatre, and in Yiddish. Here there is not any ban
to speak Yiddish. Here Yiddish is exactly as kosher as Polish
and German.
The directors of the Yiddish theatre, together with the actors,
calmed down and settled into their work.
The troupes of actors became greater
in number. More actors came in from
London in the middle of the summer. The company now consisted of
the Golubok brothers, Spector and his wife, Barsky, Rozenblum,
Boyarsky, Simon, Zhupnik and Boris Thomashefsky.
Boris Thomashefsky played women's roles.
As there was a lack
of female actors, Boris Thomashefsky, with his handsome figure
and soprano voice, played all of the women's roles.
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