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The World of Sholom Aleichem
Author(s):
Arnold Perl
THE STORIES: The three plays are bound together by the narrative of Mendele the Book Seller, who connects the three different expressions of Eastern European Jewish life of the last century. A TALE OF CHELM is based on folk tales of a village in Eastern Europe, which village was cheated of its rightful quota of intelligence--the angel charged with distributing souls spilled her bag of foolish souls as she flew over Chelm and one of the results was a Melamed--a teacher--who couldn't tell the difference between a nanny goat and a billy goat. The play tells of his constantly frustrated attempts to buy a milch goat for his wife. (5M, 3W) BONTCHE SCHWEIG is based on a story by I. L. Peretz. As described by Atkinson in the Times, BONTCHE SCHWEIG "...is a wonderful one-act piece. Having died after a wretched and barren life on earth, Bontche Schweig now comes to heaven for his reward. Since life has taught him to expect nothing, he expects nothing in heaven. Even when the angels turn out to honor him he remains mute and bewildered." When he is offered anything he wants as a reward for his gentle uncomplaining humility, he can ask only that everyday he be given a hot roll with fresh butter; and even the angels are ashamed that his greatest wish is so pitiful. (7M, 4W) THE HIGH SCHOOL, the longest and most serious of the three plays, is based on a work by Sholom Aleichim. According to Atkinson, "...narrates the story of two Jewish parents who try to get their son admitted to a nonreligious school. In Russia at the time there was a quota for Jewish boys who wanted to attend regular schools...Essentially, it is the story of one small though persistent attempt to break out of segregation. But it is not arguing a thesis. What endears it to the theatregoer is its bittersweet portrait of two parents--the cautious father, the indomitable mother drawn together by a mystic vision of education for their son. In both the writing and the staging, this is an economical sketch in which the broad, general truths are never mentioned, although they rise out of the silence like thunder." (7M, 3W, and Mendele, the Book Seller.)
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| Genre(s): | Not Available | | Time Period(s): | Not Available | | Play Type: | Play | | Runtime: | Not Available | | Acts: | Not Available | | Set Complexity: | Not Available | | Set Information: | Not Available | | Year First Published: | Not Available | | Total Characters: | 20 | | Male Characters: | 16 | | Female Characters: | 10 | | Androgynous Characters: | -6 | | Minimum Cast: | Not Available | | Maximum Cast: | Not Available | | Cost: | FEE: The plays may be produced individually as one acts or all together to make a full evening's entertainment. $50 per performance when produced together; $10 for A TALE OF CHELM; $15 for BONTCHE SCHWEIG; $25 for THE HIGH SCHOOL when produced individually. SPECIAL NOTE: The music, composed by Serge Hovey and Robert de Cormier, used in the New York production, is available on tape (#4980CS) through the Play Service for $35.00. The fee for use of this music is $10 per performance
Royalty/cost information prone to change.
Please check with the publisher for the most accurate information. | | Publisher: | Dramatists Play Service
Click on the publisher's name above for additional information, including updated prices. | | ISBN: | Not Available |
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