Quantcast

Poland sing! Famed Jewish theater company to perform in Brighton Beach

Poland sing! Famed Jewish theater company to perform in Brighton Beach
Photo by Marta Kusmierz

Get ready to see these actors make a scene!

The Ester Rachel Kaminska and Ida Kaminska State Jewish Theatre — Poland’s best and only Jewish theater company — is coming to the Master Theater in Brighton Beach on Nov. 15. The show, “Mazel Tov,” will feature a dozen actors performing Yiddish and Polish sketches and songs alongside an eight-piece orchestra. The audience can expect to hear both classic and contemporary pieces, said a spokesperson for the theater company.

“On the one hand, there are many songs which are a base of traditional Jewish culture,” said Golda Tencer, the deputy director of the theater, citing traditional tunes such as “Bar mir bistdu schejn” (“To Me You Are Lovely”). “On the other hand, we want to make people know, also, less obvious songs.”

Holocaust survivors formed the theater company in 1950, and the group’s performances usually include some staple Jewish dramas by Russian playwrights Abraham Goldfaden and Jacob Michailovitch Gordin. The entire show will be in Yiddish with English supertitles, but Tencer said that should not deter curious crowds who do not speak the language.

“The only thing I can say is invite all wanting to learn more about the Jewish culture — its rich heritage — and whoever wants to just simply have fun and spend one evening in an extraordinary way,” she said. “We strongly encourage anyone to come who wants to find out what the Jewish culture offers and experience the unique spirit and melody of the Yiddish language.”

“Mazel Tov” at Master Theater [1029 Brighton Beach Ave. at Brighton 11th Street in Brighton Beach, (718) 732–3838, www.maste‌rthea‌ter.com]. Nov. 15 at 7:30 pm. Tickets start at $40.

Reach reporter Vanessa Ogle at vogle‌@cngl‌ocal.com or by calling (718) 260–4507. Follow her attwitter.com/oglevanessa.