The Golem (Leivick)
| דער גולם | |
|---|---|
 Aharon Meskin as the Golem, Habima Theatre (1927) | |
| Written by | H. Leivick |
| Genre | Dramatic poem |
The Golem (original
In both cases, there is an admixture of material of Christian origin and probably influence from Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Leivick's version includes several messiah figures including "The Man With the Cross", and is strongly focused on the plight of the golem, animated against his will and wrestling with his particular form of the human condition, and, secondarily, of the rabbi, a "creator whose creation does not respond in accordance with his plan". (Landis, 1972, 221)
Leivick referred to this work as a "dramatic poem" rather than a "play". As originally written, it was unstageable, requiring, for example, that flames flicker out of their own accord and that actors be visibly knocked about (and even bloodied) by invisible forces; furthermore, the full piece would probably take at least four hours to stage, perhaps longer. However, stageable versions were soon developed, and the play became a standard of
An
A stage version of The Golem based on Leivick's poem has recently been published by the American playwright Howard Rubenstein and premiered at the Penn Theatre, San Diego.
Footnotes
- ^ Solomon, Alisa (April 7, 2002). "Theater; A Jewish Avenger, A Timely Legend". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ^ Martin, Douglas (December 11, 2008). "Robert Prosky, 77, an Actor of Wide Range and Acumen, Is Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ^ "David Fishelson playwright page". The Playwrights Database. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
- ^ "The Golem, show page". ManhattanEnsemble.com. Retrieved June 2, 2013.
References
- Landis, Joseph C. (translator and editor), The Great Jewish Plays. New York:Horizon. 1972 ISBN 0-936839-04-X
- Rubenstein, Howard. The Golem: Man of Earth: A play in two acts based on historical events, a medieval Jewish legend, kabbalah, and the Yiddish dramatic poem by H. Leivick, Granite Hills Press, 2007. ISBN 1929468121
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