Introduction: Songs and Laughter

Introduction: Songs and Laughter

Welcome to the Museum of the Yiddish Theatre’s newest exhibition, "Songs and Laughter."

The Museum of the Yiddish Theatre is a virtual tribute, a website that was created some years ago to honor and remember the contributions made by those who were, and are, connected in some way to the Yiddish theatre, both domestically and abroad.

The five portraits that are on display here are of actors and actresses who once made their mark on the Yiddish theatre, as well as on Jewish and American cultural history. Each of them was among the top performers of the Yiddish stage during their illustrious careers.

This museum itself is both multimedia and interactive and is filled with a plethora of exhibitions, as well as wonderful, archival treasures and stories of actors, who have as part of this rich profession, entertained Jewish audiences for more than one hundred and thirty years.

“Songs and Laughter” contains a series of pencil drawings from the Museum's collection, of some of our most famous Yiddish actors and actresses. The five who are featured here most often played in musical or comedy roles, each of whom joyfully entertained their adoring audiences for many decades.

Also included in this art exhibition is an audio tour, the first of its kind at the Museum, which we hope you will enjoy. It will give you a historical perspective of the lives and careers of the featured actors.

Many of the Yiddish actors and actresses who once played in the United States first began their acting careers in Yiddish theatre, sometimes in the States, but other times in other countries, often the country of their birth, and most remained on the Yiddish stage for the entirety of their career. Others, either out of a desire or necessity, at some point crossed over to the American theatre, where they then performed in the English language.

Some also crossed over to films, either in the Yiddish and English language or both, while others performed on television or radio. How some of these most popular and skillful actors began their careers on the Yiddish stage, and to where and what extent they transitioned onto the American stage, is the subject of this exhibition.

Most of those portrayed in this exhibition began acting in the United States on the Yiddish or Jewish Rialto, a term that denotes the theatre district that was once located on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, which once teemed with Yiddish theatre houses.

Many of these actors played with each other on stage over a period of many years, as the path of their careers would often intersect.

Our “Songs and Laughter” tour now begins …

[The Museum of the Yiddish Theatre can be found at: https://www.moyt.org]