Jidiš teatras Lietuvoje: operetė ir jos atlikėjai

Abstract

The article presents a short history of Yiddish operetta in Lithuania during the interwar period. Although the prosperity of Yiddish operetta in Lithuania and in Europe on the whole was quite short, it had an important impact for the further development of entertainment theatre, especially in the United States of America, where most of the European Jewish artists were emigrating. The article reminds of the origins of the Yiddish operetta - it started with Broder Zingers in Poland in the middle of the 19th century. The most popular operettas were created by Avraham Goldfaden, who started his career in Romania and finished in the United States of America. His plays were staged in Kaunas, the temporary Lithuanian capital (1919-1939). The most attractive were Sulamith and Roumanian Wedding. The article gives an overview of the reception of Yiddish operettas in the Lithuanian press. The qualities of the vocal expression of different artists are described. One should admit that not only the intellectuals of the Jewish origin were writing about Yiddish theatre, but also intellectuals that up till now were considered as representing purely Lithuanian culture. Thus the article reveals new facts about the interaction between Lithuanian and Jewish cultural communities of that time. A big number of Yiddish plays, the variety of Jewish artists playing in Lithuania shows, that Lithuania with its temporary capital Kaunas was an important centre of Jewish culture in Europe.