Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem
PRODUCTION COMPLETED
Many of the revelers have died out. And those who are left will soon be gone too. So, I hasten to set down their names and describe each one separately, with all his quirks and oddities. Let there be a memorial, no matter how small. Let there be a record of how Jews used to celebrate and make merry in their exile when Simchas Torah came.
- Sholom Aleichem
When Sholom Aleichem wrote his stories of shtetl life the in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, he was acutely, even painfully aware that he was chronicling an already vanishing Jewish people and culture. What does it mean to be a Jew in a world of pogrom on the one hand, and assimilation on the other? This was a central question for Sholom Aleichem who lived at a time when a whole Yiddishekeit was fading. No one reflected the Yiddish world better than Sholom Aleichem whose characters and stories have brilliantly kept Yiddish culture a living, breathing, questioning, bickering, laughing and crying thing. His were stories that were meant to be performed– read aloud, typically by the man of the house who would read to the whole family after the Friday night dinner as part of the Oneg Shabbat, delight in the Sabbath.On the stage, Sholom Aleichem takes on an extra-dimension of Yiddish theatricality. Enter the legendary Theodore Bikel.As the greatest living performer of Sholom Aleichem’s work, Bikel is currently touring the U.S. and Canada in a wholly original tour de force of acting and classic Yiddish song, the widely acclaimed “ Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears.” In it, Bikel animates the life and characters of the Russian-Jewish writer for whom humor and pathos were always two sides of the same Yiddish coin. The show, both created and performed by Bikel, has become an integral part of his life. With compelling reason -these two Jewish artists and icons have much in common: wisdom, humor, humanity, talent and -perhaps most importantly- a gift for Yiddish.
I feel myself to be the link in a chain that stretches back to the past and will stretch forward into the future. I sing about what was sung yesterday. And I sing today so that, pray God, it shouldn’t get lost. And that possibly, if not my children, then, at least, somebody’s children will sing it tomorrow. - Theodore Bikel
Theodore Bikel: In the Shoes of Sholom Aleichem
is a one-hour film that focuses on both playwright and artist. A mix of acting, storytelling, music and biography, the film is a journey from the heart of one Jewish cultural treasure into the soul of another. Finally, it is an exploration of art from the golden age of Yiddish life that characterizes Yiddish as a fountain and a river that still connects. Bikel’s masterful performance of selected stories, songs and monologs from his stage show are intertwined into a broader examination of Sholom Aleichem’s life and work and their continuing relevance to Jewish culture. Bikel’s remarkable life as actor, singer, musician, linguist, and towering Jewish voice for over six decades shines through. Jews who embrace their heritage– their wisdom, irony, humor and pain– stand in the shoes of Sholom Aleichem. For Theodore Bikel regarded as the world’s foremost interpreter of Jewish folk song, who has played Tevye the Milkman over 2,000 times, whom the World Union for Progressive Judaism has conferred the title Maggid– walking in those shoes is a journey and a quest.
About the Producers
JOHN LOLLOS & MARSHA LEBBY
John Lollos & Marsha Lebby are uniquely suited to this project as their extensive writing and producing credits reflect a wide-ranging creativity. Translating theater to television is a special talent of Lollos, who received an Emmy nomination for his re-imagination of the landmark musical theater event, The Cradle Will Rock for television. In addition, Lollos adapted and produced G.B. Shaw’s Candida for television with Olympia Dukakis’ Whole Theater Company. Lebby is a current contributor to both A&E Television and the History Channel. As a team, they recently wrote and produced for PBS A Jewish Spirit Sings– a music-based documentary about the power of music in Jewish life featuring some of the greatest Jewish singers in the world today. Their Broadway comedy Mr. Goldwyn was produced by David Brown and starred Alan King as movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn. The team each won Ace Awards for The Dr. Ruth Show for their work producing and writing over 500 episodes.
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