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THE ADVENTURES OF HERSHELE OSTROPOLYER Send This Review to a Friend
Yiddish humor is in a class all its own, and there is fun to be had when a Yiddish theater production reaches into the folklore for that kind of mixture of zaniness and logic-defying wit, as is the case with The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene’s presentation of the musical “The Adventures of Hershele Ostropolyer.” Based on Moyshe Gershenson’s play “Hershele Ostropolyer,” later adapted by Joseph Glickson, this song-and-dance version has a score “compiled by” Chana Mlotek and has been adapted, directed and choreographed by Eleanor Reissa. The best news of all is that it stars Mike Burstyn.
The title character is a folk hero who has the task of turning the tables on the miserly Kalmen (I.W. “Itsy” Firestone), who typically is ready to cheat a young couple (Dani Marcus and Nimmy Weisbrod) who want to get married. The prospective bride must first retrieve her late grandmother’s pawned ring from Kalmen, who piles on the interest and finds other ways to chisel. Onto the scene comes the wandering hero Hershele, who has plenty of wiles of his own that he uses to outfox the predatory Kalmen.
The production is alive with singing and dancing by a spirited, colorful cast, with subtitles flashed in English and Russian. The amusement comes with a rush of disguises and hilariously outrageous tactics that drive Kalmen to distraction and manipulate his greed to backfire on him. By the time the resourceful Hershele is through with him, Kalmen is so befuddled that he looks ready for an insane asylum.
Burstyn, with his long Yiddish theater history and pedigree as the son of Yiddish stars Pesach Burstein and Lillian Lux, has vaudevillian style comedy and physical movements down pat and is thoroughly endearing on stage. He holds a 2006 Drama Desk nomination for outstanding actor in a musical for his work in the musical revue “On Second Avenue,” a production of the Folksbiene, which is carrying on the Yiddish theater tradition.
The staging is swift and light-hearted, with the star and featured performers breaking into often nutty lyrics that spice the jaunty score. To tell the truth, I had more quirky fun seeing this show than I’ve had at some much more elaborate and expensive shows on Broadway. At the Baruch Performing Arts Center, 55 Lexington Avenue (entrance on 25th Street), $55. Phone: 646-312-5073.
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