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Making and Remaking the Jewish East End: Space, Language and Time
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Secrets of the London Yiddish Stage

When: Thursday, November 17, 2022, 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM
Where: Jewish Museum, Raymond Burton House, 129-131 Albert Street, London NW1 7NB

Rehearsed reading with musical interludes of gems from London’s East-End Yiddish theatre. 

Everyone is welcome to a rehearsed reading with musical interludes of gems from London’s East-End Yiddish theatre of the turn of the twentieth century. You’ll get the sense of the history and atmosphere of London’s vibrant Jewish immigrant theatre in English and Yiddish, and cry, laugh and heckle! Newly discovered secrets include one-act plays, sketches and songs, translated and directed by Vivi Lachs. See London’s East End through a new lens, from love affairs in Victoria Park to haggling about voting in the 1912 British election. From escaping the Russian draft of the 1850s to cheeky parodies of the British music hall. Expect Yiddish versions of Shakespeare soliloquies by actor David Schneider, and all-join-in songs from the band Katsha’nes. Both entertaining and thought-provoking, this performance shares the secrets of a vibrant East End immigrant culture. The evening will be enhanced with visual material, drawing from the archive of Yiddish theatre posters at the Jewish Museum’s archive. No Yiddish knowledge necessary. 

(Image Courtesy of The Grand Palais Collection, in memory of H I Greenby.)

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