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Sholom
Aleichem Group: Lone Star Theatre Company |
| Mark Tyson | |
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Sholom Aleichem was the author of the stories which inspired the musical Fiddler on the Roof. Here Saul Reichlin dramatises some of Sholom Aleichem's lesser known stories. Reichlin is an accomplished performer, but I felt his approach was over reverential. This seemed like an attempt to contrive an authentic, Jewish story-telling tradition. There is a lot of this kind of thing going on; some people think that we should experience Shakespeare's plays as his audience experienced them, rather than in purpose-built modern theatres. The oral tradition is common to many cultures, but these days we tell ourselves stories in more sophisticated ways; film, opera, novels etc. The oral tradition is lrgely confined to children. Jewish humour has been hugely influential, and perhaps it is the success and universality of Jewish humour that leads the traditionalists to seek to retain something of their own. From a critical point of view, however, are we supposed to be enjoying a performance or contemplating a museum piece? 30
July to 24 August.
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