- Kibitzing with Itzy Firestone, Suzanne Toren and Eyal Sherf from Di Ksube
- by Joel Markowitz
Oy Vey! Yiddish theatre is still going after 93 years, thanks to The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene. They were nominated for a Drama Desk Award for the Yiddish version of Pirates of Penzance, and now they have a hit on their hands with the musical Di Ksube. Take a boorish plumber, his suffering wife, his only daughter and her statistician fiancé, Now, throw in the “we need to be in total control” overbearing in-laws and an oversexed widow who lives upstairs. Then, add some meshuganah musical numbers and what do you have? A funny, heart tugging comedy with music called The Marriage Contract (“Di Ksube“).
Di Ksube was written in Hebrew by Ephraim Kishon, an Israeli humorist in 1953, and was one of the longest running hits on the Israeli stage. This adaptation, playing now at The Folksbiene at The JCC in the upper west side of Manhattan, is performed in Yiddish with English and Russian subtitles.
Actors Itzy Firestone and Suzanne Toren kibitzed about the revival of the Yiddish Theatre at the Folksbeine in NYC, and the importance of keeping the Yiddish language alive. Listen in as they schmooze about their roles in Di Ksube, and sing highlights “Vu Bin Ikh Farkrokhn” (“What Have I Gotten Myself Into”) and “Ikh Vel Vider Zayn a Kavalir” (“I’ll Be a Bachelor Again”).
Eyal Sherf, who plays Robert, the groom, speaks about the importance for young Jewish actors to perform Yiddish musicals, and talks about his character and favorite scene in Di Ksube. Eyal concludes his interview as he serenades us with a bissell from a song from Folksbiene’s Yiddish production of The Pirates of Penzance.
Di Ksube runs through until April 6th. You can purchase tickets by calling Ticket Central, by phone at (212) 279-4200 or online .
To listen, click here.