SHLEMIEL THE FIRST Based on the play by Isaac Bashevis Singer Conceived and adapted by Robert Brustein Music composed, adapted, and orchestrated by Hankus Netsky Musical arrangements and additional music by Zalmen Mlotek Lyrics by Arnold Weinstein Directed by Nick Olcott and Michael Russotto December 18, 2007 - January 20, 2008 Featuring Thomas Howley, Dan Manning, Amy McWilliams and Helen Hayes Award winner Donna Migliaccio "A joyful noise, a breath of FRESH rhythm" - Newsweek Read More Critical Enthusiasm

Inspired by Nobel Prize winner I.B. Singer's whimsical tales of Chelm, the Village of Fools, this theatrical "jolt of joy" features rollicking klezmer music, slapstick comedy and a grand tale of mistaken identity. This irreverent, seriously funny musical, the hit of last season's Robert Brustein Residency, promises to be fun for everyone! Run Time 2 hrs.

Read Notes from playwright Robert Brustein

BUY TICKETS

Buy Tickets Online or Call (800) 494-TIXS
Groups of 10+ Call (202) 777-3214

PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE

Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday nights at 7:30 pm
Saturday nights at 8:00 pm
Sunday matinee at 3:00 pm
Special Noon Matinees: Wednesday, January 9 and 16

Join Us For:

Life, Sex, Heresy in the Shtetl: Putting Shlemiel the First in Historical Perspective
4 Wednesdays: January 23–February 13, 7:30–9:00 pm (Snow Date: February 20)
$60, Discounted Member Price $45
Instructor: Professor Lauren Strauss, PhD
Contact Sarah Gershman at sarahg@washingtondcjcc.org or (202) 777-3237.

A four-week journey into the colorful world of shtetl literature and its cultural and historical underpinnings. Readings will include works by the great Yiddish authors of the 19th and 20th centuries. Excerpts from Sholem Aleichem, Mendele Mocher Sforim, S. Y. Ansky and Isaac Bashevis Singer (the inspiration for Shlemiel the First), among others, will explore relationships between men and women, shed light on political and religious revolutions and traverse both the Jewish underworld and the Other World. All works will be read in translation, and a list of optional readings will be distributed prior to the class. 

****
Originally produced in 1994 by the American Repertory Theatre, Cambridge, Massachusetts;  Robert Brustein, Artistic director;  Robert J. Orchard, Managing Director, and by the American Music Theater Festival,  Philadelphia, PA; Marjorie Samoff, Producing Director