The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-08-26
BUSYLE ON YIDDISH RIALTO.
REHEARSALS ALREADY BEGUN
-THEATERS REFCRBISHED.

GRID OF the Hebrew Actor FrOtecVfo
Union--Adier said 20 Have Gone
) Into English to Escape It-vaudeyiile
I in tho Ghett0-Freak Drop Curtain.
Theatrical Broadway isn't the whole
thing in the way Of stage activity these
days. The Jewish Rialto Is also busy
center. In stuffy little cafes along Grand
street are to be seen serious faced Yiddish
actors, employed and unemployed. Some
have Just returned from the country and
others have crawled out Of their summer
hiding places in East Side tenements.
However, the Thespian hum Is on. Man
ayers are rushing hither and thither enga-
glng some and turning down others; work.
men are renovating and putting the finish
ing touches on new schemes OF decoration
In the playhouses On the Bowery corners
are groups Of players discussing the outlook
for the coming season.
To itemize all the Jewish theaters on the
East Side would be difficult. The majority
Of them are Of mushroom growth. They
come and go In twinkling. One troupe
of players will stalk the boards OF side
street hall or meeting place one week and
vanish the next. But the Yiddish theatrical
business has become important recently.
In numerous small towns throughout the
country there are playhouses given over
exclusively to plays in the Yiddish dialect,
and as result there are lots of Hebrew
actors wandering over the face OF the con-
tinent.
Managers Of the Yiddish theaters and
the companies that play in them are up
against proposition that the big pro-
ducers of English plays are free from.
This Is the Hebrew Actors Protective
Union. Almost everybody identified with
Yiddish theatricals belongs to 1t. In each
company the call boy and the leading lady
alike hold membership cards. The COM
bination doesn't make it any easier for
the manager in front or the stage man
ager In the back Of the house. Should
an unruly stage boss tweak' the nose OF
q costume urchin he will most likely find
his entire troupe on strike. Such stage
managers as Edgar Temple, Ben Teal,
George Marion and Julian Mitchell, who
think their lot hard one, should witness
Q rehearsal Of one Of the Yiddish COM
panies. They would see some examples OF
stage politeness and discretion that might
make them sit up.
theaters cay that the growing power OF
their union was what forced Jacob Adler,
the foremost Yiddish actor Of the country,
to give up his Grand Street Theater and
60 to Boston and other cities, playing in
English houses. Mr.. Adler, it is said,
has always been foe Of the union. He
is quoted az saying that it will eventually
ruin Jewish theatricals. The Grand has
been turned over to vaudeville manager.
who will give straight American variety
during the coming season. There Is con-
siderable speculation as to the success Of
this venture In the Ghetto.
The ITALIA Theater has also drifted
from the strict Yiddish lines and is now
occupied by cheap American melodrama.
The old Thaha stock company. headed by
David Kessler, Morris Moskowitz, Nine.
X. Lpzin and Samuel Thornberg will
only occasionally appear at the theater in
sacred plays. For the most part this COM
pany will be on the road.
The two leading Yiddish theaters are
was formerly the Windsor. but has been
Techristened in honor Of Nine. Bertha
Kakch. who was the bright star there
last year and who Is now to appear under
the management OF Harrison Grey Fiske
in leading English houses. The Peoples
Theater win be conducted this year on
the same lines as in past years since it
was given over to Yiddish. plays. The
pieces put on will all be in the lighter vein
Of comedy. Boris Thomashefsky still heads
the company and selects and stages the
productions.
At the Kalich will be given the heavier
mr. Va mo n inh hno
consented TO appear for few Of the OPEN
ing performances, and no doubt the first
night, which Is scheduled for about Sept.
!, will see q great demonstration in her
honor. The opening piece will be -Sappho,'
the p noEo BOOK %oS y
was produced here by Olga Nethersole
at the Kalich ends the @Kreuzer Sonata
will be played with Nine. Kalch In the
leading role. Among the other prominent
members Of the Kalich Theater company
The Kalich has been almost completely
rebuilt and 10 one-fourth larger than It
was previously. A new drop curtain with
. unique feature Is to be installed. In
the center Of the curtain IL q flap or second
dinarily. but slides up when necessary,
permitting the players- to answer curtain
calls without having the entire curtain
raised. Curtain calls are great things in
Yiddish theaters. After each act the audi
ences shout and clamor for the players
to come to the footights. and the latter
always respond. It would be gross
breach of etiquette for them not to do 90.
In this way considerable time u lost In
setting the stage for the following act.
The new curtain arrangement will give
the sceneshifters g chance to 60 on with
their work while the players are bowling
before the audience.
The members Of the Kalich company
are hard at. work with rehearsals now
and 80 are those at the Peoples. In the
little playhouses in the side streets, also.
the actors are going through their parts
while stage carpente rs are building props
and decorators are primping up the audi
toriums. In fact, there Is lots doing along
the Yiddish rialto.
CONTEMPLATING FALLING OFF.
IA xAA ma On