The Yiddish King Lear
The Yiddish King Lear (
.Gordin, a respected intellectual and Yiddish-language novelist, had been recruited by Jacob Adler in an effort to create a more serious repertoire for Yiddish theater, comparable to what he knew from Russian theater. His first two plays, Siberia and Two Worlds had failed commercially, although Siberia was later successfully revived.
The play is not a translation of
The husbands of the daughters among whom David Moishele divides his "kingdom" are, respectively a
The title role became a pillar of Adler's image and career. Theater Magazine wrote of Adler's performance in a 1901 revival of The Yiddish King Lear, "No finer acting has ever been seen in New York than Adler's gradual transition from the high estate of the Hebrew father distributing his bounty in the opening scenes to the quavering blind beggar of later developments." Even after he was nearly paralyzed by a stroke in 1920, Adler managed to play Act I of The Yiddish King Lear on several occasions as part of a benefit performance, since his character remained seated throughout this act; he played the role for the last time in 1924, two years before his death.[4]
The play was made into a 1934 Yiddish-language film with a new score by veteran Yiddish theatre composer
References
- ISBN 9780300108750. p. ix.
- ^ "The Yiddish King Lear, USA, 1935" (catalog entry). National Center for Jewish Film. Archived from the original on 10 May 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ Segall, Rebecca (March 19, 2002). "Theater: Hasid on the Aisle". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2017-12-20. Print edition March 20–26, 2002.
- ^ Gay & Glazer (2007), "Introduction", p. xv.
- ^ "Grants: New Jewish Theater Projects, 2004-2005 Season Recipients: 'The Jewish King Lear' by Allan Havis, The San Diego Repertory Theater, San Diego, CA". National Foundation for Jewish Culture. jewishculture.org. Archived from the original on 14 March 2007. Retrieved 20 December 2017.
- ^ "Wind River Press". Archived from the original on 8 October 2003.
- ^ "The Yiddish King Lear by Jacob Gordin, starring David Serero as Lear, to be performed in New York on". 11 December 2017.
- ISBN 0-679-41351-0. 323–324, 376.
- Berkowitz, Joel. Shakespeare on the American Yiddish Stage. Iowa City: University of Iowa Press,
External links
- Plot summary
- Translation
- Yiddish King Lear on the Relief Roll – article in The Forward
- The Yiddish King Lear at IMDb