Zalmen Mlotek
(right) welcomes Theodore Bikel to Folksbiene dinner |
Jeffrey Wiesenfeld
(rear) with his daughter Maxine and wife Cynthia, plus
(front l-r) Fyvush Finkel, Bel Kaufman and Theodore
Bikel |
Theodore Bikel
with Sarah and Elie Hirschfeld |
Zalmen Mlotek with
Fyvush Finkel, Bel Kaufman and Theodore Bikel |
FOLKSBIENE
Icons Of Yiddish Theatre
Celebrate Their
Birthdays
STORY AND PHOTOS
BY TIM BOXER
IDDISH lovers of all accents—from Litvaks to Galitzianers
packed Symphony Space on New York’s Upper West Side for the
National Yiddish Theatre-Folksbiene’s recent salute to
Theodore Bikel. Originally from Vienna, Theo was 90 years
old on May 2.
Bel Kaufman, author of the 1965
bestseller (and film), Up the Down Staircase, hobbled on
stage to congratulate Theo for his perennial portrayal of Tevye
in Fiddler on the Roof, based on a story written by her
grandfather Sholom Aleichem.
"In our family," Bel said, "Theo is
our Tevye. He has done Tevye on stage over 2,000 times, more
than any other actor.
"As a matter of fact there was a real
Tevye who delivered milk to my grandfather. The real Tevye did
not have a personality like the one in the movie."
Bel, born in Berlin, reached her 103rd
birthday on May 19. "I don’t know anyone as old as I," she said.
Folksbiene comes close in longevity,
as it just closed its 99th consecutive season.
"I love you, Theo!" Bel confessed.
Theo was flattered. "There used to be
a time when I loved young women," he said. "Never till tonight
did I get a declaration of love from a woman over 100."
He said it’s not easy to be young.
"It’s easier to be old—you can walk around with a cane and this
commands respect."
He congratulated the Folksbiene, with
Jeffrey Wiesenfeld as chairman and Zalmen Mlotek
as artistic director, for preserving the tradition of Yiddish
culture. "It’s your Jewish heritage. You can keep it in the
closet or you can keep it alive."
"We’re celebrating a lot of birthdays
here," Brooklyn’s Fyvush Finkel noted. "Theo is 90 and I
am 91. Of course, with this audience it’s no big deal."
