An important and vibrant part of the early American Yiddish musical and theatrical productions was virtually forgotten until recently brought to life by none other than the eminent maestro of the San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas.
Tilson Thomas, the award-winning conductor, is also the primary researcher and conservator of his famous grandparents, Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky’s memorablia.
The Thomashefskys were prominent leaders of the American Yiddish Theater in the lower east side of New York City during the last of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
As a young boy growing up in Los Angeles, Tilson Thomas listened to his grandmother, Bessie, relate stories and sing Yiddish songs from her days as a prominent star in the Yiddish Theater. He was intrigued by these early beginnings and what was to become an important element in early musical and theatrical productions. Years later Tilson Thomas, as a tribute to his grandparents, produced The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater.
The Ukrainian-born Boris Thomashefsky (1868-1939; there is some disagreement that it was either 1866 or 1868) was a Jewish singer and actor who immigrated to America when he was 12 years old. As a young teenager, he almost immediately made a name for himself and was credited with one of the first performances of Yiddish theater in New York City. He was a pioneer of “Borscht Belt” entertainment.
“Bessie (aka Bessie Baumfeld-Kaufman) Thomashefsky, (1873-1962) was a turn-of-the-century superstar,” said Dan Pine, a staff writer for J Weekly. “With her husband, Boris, the Jewish immigrants were the Richard Burton and Liz Taylor of the lower east side, pioneers of a tradition that helped evolve into the Boardway musical.”
The Thomashefskys did much to shape the world of modern theater from the follies to Broadway and gave a start to many actors, composers and producers who then went on to start and own theaters and movie studios. Even the Gershwin brothers had their start with the Thomashefskys.
Boris and Bessie met in 1887. She was enthralled with the handsome 19-year-old Boris whom she saw in a Baltimore production of a Yiddish touring company. Bessie soon ran away from home to join Boris’ company. Sparks flew between the two and they married in 1891. They made a team that was virtually unmatched in Yiddish theatrical and musical productions. It should be noted that they were not the only producers of Yiddish Theater but certainly the most noted and famous. “The Thomashefskys were, without a doubt, among the most important producers of popular Yiddish culture in North America,” said Steven Zipperstein, History professor at Stanford University.
“The music of the Tilson Thomas production is captivating, warm, beautiful … is not simple music, but so well composed,” said Israeli-born soprano, Ronit Widmann-Levy. “The texts are about love, waiting for love and looking for love. The possibilities are limitless,” said singer/actor, Shuler Hensley. “It is part of New York history, not just Jewish history and the music is so outstanding and was lost for so long.”
The music was reconstructed by Tilson Thomas and it is an orchestral sound not heard in New York for many years. Older repertoire represented in the production is about 120 years old. The newest music is from circa 1920.
At the turn of the 20th century and beyond, the Thomashefskys gave to New York and the burgeoning Jewish immigrant population, a Yiddish music and theater scene unheard of before their influence. This segment of the population was starved for entertainment and the Thomashefskys filled that need and then some.
To great acclaim, they staged original drama, comedies, their own Yiddish translations of Ibsen and Shakespeare and above all, music. So pliant was his (Boris) voice, sometimes he played women’s roles and Bessie, also was known for doing “trouser-roles” – women playing young men, according to Dan Pine.
This dramatically shows the great versatility and wealth of talent of Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky. The Tilson Thomas production recreates the rich heritage, both music and drama of a ground-breaking couple that helps to restore them as progenitors of an art form so important in early 20th century America.
Don’t forget the Danville Community Band’s annual Blackhawk Museum Concert “Americana” Sunday, April 14, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. Free concert with museum entrance fee. Please submit your questions and comments to banddirector01@comcast.net
Visit our website at www.danvilleband.org for up-to-date information about the Danville Community Band.
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