Two Yiddish Plays Get Drama Desk Nods
Image by Ronald Glassman
By Rukhl Schaechter May 3, 2016
Two Yiddish-language theatrical productions, “Toyt fun a Salesman” and “The Golden Bride,” have been nominated in several categories for the Drama Desk awards.
“Toyt fun a Salesman,” a translation of Arthur Miller’s “Death of a Salesman” produced by the New Yiddish Rep, was nominated for Outstanding Revival of a Play, and its lead actor, Avi Hoffman, was nominated for Outstanding Actor in a Play. The production, directed by Moshe Yassur, was adapted and translated by the late Yiddish actor, Joseph Buloff.
“The Golden Bride,” produced by the Folksbiene, was nominated for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, while directors Motl Didner and Brayne Wasserman, were nominated for Outstanding Director of a Musical. “The Golden Bride,” an operetta with music by Joseph Rumshinksy which premiered in 1923, “is an immigrant fantasy that looks as fondly on Mother Russia as on Uncle Sam,” noted one New York Times reviewer.
Didner told the Forverts that the news “filled me with pride and joy, not only for us but also for ‘Toyt fun a Salesman.’ What a year this has been for the Yiddish theater!”
The Drama Desk Awards, which are awarded every year in a number of categories, are the only respected New York City contest in which Broadway, Off-Broadway and Off-Off Broadway productions compete against each other in the same categorie. The difference between these three designations refers to seating capacity: Broadway productions must have at least 500 seats; off-Broadway theaters have between 99 and 499 seats, and Off-Off-Broadway theaters have less than 99 seats.
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning journalism this Passover.
In this age of misinformation, our work is needed like never before. We report on the news that matters most to American Jews, driven by truth, not ideology.
At a time when newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall. That means for the first time in our 126-year history, Forward journalism is free to everyone, everywhere. With an ongoing war, rising antisemitism, and a flood of disinformation that may affect the upcoming election, we believe that free and open access to Jewish journalism is imperative.
Readers like you make it all possible. Right now, we’re in the middle of our Passover Pledge Drive and we need 500 people to step up and make a gift to sustain our trustworthy, independent journalism.
Make a gift of any size and become a Forward member today. You’ll support our mission to tell the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
Join our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
Our Goal: 500 gifts during our Passover Pledge Drive!
