Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1914-11-10
ETERNAL TRAGEDY
OF JEW THEME OF
YIDDISH DRAMA
New Jewish Theatre in
10th Street; Its Audience
and Players, Through the
Eyes of an American Oh
server.

The curtain had risen on The Eternal
Tragedy" The players were singing
song in English. Crowds were pouring
into the capacIous old National Theatre,
the New Yiddish Theatre. 1t was the
premiere of the play, tragedy by Editor
Katz of the Jewish Daily World. 1t was
an audience of Oriental type-dark-
skinned. dark-cyed, NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
only now and again by fair hair and blue
eyes.
The action of the play was we'll under
way, yet newcomers disturbed those
seated; men and women changed their
seats; ushers argued about coupons. ON
the stage a tiny girl, dressed as a boy,
sang Yankee Doodle IN English. The
audience applauded. Up in "A tier box sat
a girl resplendent in the latest creation of
fashion. BY her side was her antthesis--
her old mother. with wig covered by
white shawl. Downstairs quiet was COM
ing-slowly the whispers died down, the
rustling of dresses and the motion of
bodies ceased.
Tho plot unfolded itself-the eternal
tragedy of a woman's life-the life of the
Jewess In Russia In times of q progrom
massacre. The heroine had been left in
Russia by her mother, who had become,
so far as possible, an Americanlzed
Jewess The daughter, during a pro-
grom, had been violated by Russians.
Her father brings her to this country
and she tells her horrible story, as only
a Jewess could tell it-brOkenly-hyste
IcalIy. with seemingly resIstless force,
the girl is driven toward the cataclysm-
slowly, but with the certainty of fate
dntil the deHouement comes.
The play Is powerful, but utterly un-
suited to the American stage. 1t is heart
rendlng, pulsating with the life tragedy
OF the Jewish race. The acting is vib-
rant, human. The audience gasps and
shudders-the women weep; the men
clench their fists as they hear the tale
of wrong,
The first act is done. The curtain falls
and the audience files out, men, women
and children. The men smoke in the
lobby the women gossip and exchange
Reyts, the children run about.
Then the curtain rises again, The
heroine rejects the man chosen by her
parents to hide her shame by marriage.
She refuses pointblank to fool any
man" The hero comes and Is accepted.
And so the play goes along, the audi
ence following each word with rapt at
tention, breathless and absorbed. The
actors throw themselves into their work
with enthusiasm akin TO genius, The
engagement breakfast is so true to life
that the tenseness of the previous scenes
Is forgotten and laughter resounds In the
auditorium.
To the end the audience is swayed BY
the story. II Is a study in mob psychol-
ogy worthy OF Munsterberg. Indrawn
bTeaths reward the cllmaxesi gasps the
tragic lines--only the Kisses for the viii
lain are missing
To the outsider, the audience assumed
an extra-teTTitorial aspect-it was of
another land, another sphere-a race
apart. And therein lies the eternal trag-
edy OF the Jew. In America, a part OF It's
life. yet assimilation Is seemingly denied,
II the Yiddish theatre audience be taken
as a criterion. 1t Is true that the men
and women were In a Philadelphia thea
tire. II Is true that English phrases were
frequent. 1t is true that they dressed
as did other Philadelphians. Yet they
were not Philadelphians-rather a more
highly sentitized race-rather a mass OF
humans whose nerves were strung more
tautly-more prone to vibrate at the
slightest call OF the emotions.
SO far as the acting was concerned, II,
too. was different from that OF the Amer
lean stage. OF course, gestures were
used more frequently 70 emphasize
points. Most OF the muInners We're nat
ural. save that the hero deelaimed BIT
at times. The heroine was exceptionally
good. especially in the trying scenes Of
hysteFla ana sslf-denuneiation. The
main defect was IN the setting % the
second act IN which the contrasting
ooloFs Of walls and draperfas were as
unartistic as anything seen ia the thea
ire for many a day.
A visit 10 the Yiddish theatre 3 well
worth while. even though the language
ha strange. But II sou do 80. leave be-
aa open ni.ud. prepared 20 Pc Interested
faseinaiet- -teached hy the Rathqa Qf
lhe HfH HrnaI Iranedp 81 't