Breathtaking Yiddish Opera
The critically acclaimed comic opera "Pirates of Penzance," in Yiddish, has returned by popular demand March 18 through April 1. The crossover off-Broadway hit, which was called "a joyous treat" by one reviewer, is really a marvel of linguistic derring-do.
This swashbuckling production stars Stephen Mo Hanan (Jolson in "Jolson & Co.") as the Major General, as well as Dani Marcus, in her off-Broadway debut as Mabel. Man, can she sing! The whole production is hilarious and interesting, but these two stars are breathtaking!
The Yiddish adaptation, 20 years in the making, is by Al Grand, a retired schoolteacher whose twin passions are Yiddish and Gilbert & Sullivan. Directed by Allan Lewis Rickman, the production is brought to us by The National Yiddish Theatre—Folksbiene (a remarkable company, now in its 92nd consecutive season). All their shows are accessible to non-Yiddish speakers through the use of supertitles—large translation in English projected above the screen.
The company is enjoying a growing and glowing reputation for modernizing and for boldly adding to the rich legacy of the Yiddish theater with new works like this one. Also, young actors are gravitating to the company. It may sound crazy, but it's true. ... Yiddish is cool once again.
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