Yiddish Theatre: New Approaches by Joel Berkowitz (review)

Abstract

MLR, 100.2, 2005 581 Yiddish Theatre: New Approaches. Ed. by Joel Berkowitz. Oxford and Portland, OR: The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization. 2003. xiv+ 269 pp. ?39.50. ISBN 1-874774-81-1. Yiddish Theatre: New Approaches is a collection of articles aiming to be a compre? hensive study of the history of Yiddish theatre. It is a stimulating and encouraging book that I am happy to recommend to the specialist and the curious reader alike. As Joel Berkowitz states, the volume 'seeks not only to contribute to the telling of that story [of Yiddish theatre] froma variety of perspectives, but, in doing so, to make readers aware of some of the methodological possibilities that can be brought to bear on this scholarship' (p. 1). The book attempts to convey a coherent history of Yiddish theatre. Thus, it sees the inception of Yiddish institutionalized theatre in the period of Romanticism. According to Barbara Henry, the recognition ofYiddish theatre as a national theatre dates back to Schiller's correlation between the political ideas of nationhood and the artistic aims of a national poet or a national theatre. 'In this identification of national stage with nationhood itself he [Schiller] was echoed particularly by the nineteenth-century Yiddish intelligentsia who created modern Yiddish literature. For them theatre was the voice and validation of a fine national culture' (p. 58). The book employs Henry's position to describe and analyse the aesthetic and historical role of Yiddish theatre and guides the reader in that direction. The layout of the chapters reflects the content, which suggests the most compre? hensive approach to the subject, appealing to both specialists in Yiddish and theatre studies and the general public. Chronologically, it unfolds from the religious rituals and secular entertainment performed in the shtetl(Ahuva Belkin describes the tradi? tions of Yiddish popular culture, purimshpil in particular, as the point of departure for Jewish theatre (pp. 29-46)) to the theatre ofthe Jewish intelligentsia, which 'expected both to achieve an artistic standard equal to that of reputable non-Jewish theatres, and to contribute to the discussion about modern Jewish identity and the future of the nation' (Miroslawa Bulat, p. 155). The book portrays the geographical scope of Yiddish theatre, from the Slavic world to the United States. As a part of its new approaches, the book proposes to include in the history of Yiddish theatre not only the well-known names of playwrights, artists, and companies , but also forgotten figures and non-traditional theatrical genres. As an example of Yiddish theatre heritage, the book features musical soirees performed by Yiddish companies in Europe and America. In addition, itlooks at some ofthe evidence ofthe? atrical censorship in Europe and the history of Yiddish theatre criticism in America. However, the collection is not quite consistent in answering the major questions it poses. Is Yiddish theatre a national theatre? How can the theatrical practice ofa certain populace be defined as national? Although each article offersits own view, a consensus has yet to be reached since there is no concluding chapter conceptualizing the issue. One example ofthis lack ofoverall conceptualization is the inconsistency in presenting the relationships between Yiddish theatre and that of the dominant cultures. Some articles analyse the former in a sort of artistic isolation, as ifYiddish companies were never influenced by the dominant theatrical practices of their countries. As this collection demonstrates, the traditions and development of Yiddish theatre were differentfrom those of other national theatres, on account ofthe distinct socioeconomic situations of European and American Jewry.The book makes it clear that the initial step in defining Yiddish theatre is to recognize the language spoken by a populace as the official language of its stage. As Brigitte Dalinger suggests, the uniqueness of Yiddish theatre practice in Vienna, forinstance, is in the establishment of the Yiddish-speaking troupes performing in Yiddish during the 1920s and 1930s (pp. 115-16). As Yiddish, the language of a culture in transition, is full of borrowings 582 Reviews and neologisms, so the theatre should be seen as built on aesthetic borrowing and ex? change (Bertolone). The authors recognizing this dynamic as the fundamental feature of Yiddish theatre?Barbara Henry, Paola Bertolone, Seth...