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Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyTheater: "Shlemiel The First"
Klezmer Musical Sings But What'sWith The Restraint?
SCHLEMIEL THE FIRST ** 1/2 out of ****
NYU'S JACK H. SKIRBALL CENTER
Writer Isaac Bashevis Singer helped popularize folk tales
about the foolish men of Chelm , a city in Poland. In this
mythical spin on a real place (G-d help them), the wisemen of Chelm mess things up while the women eitherclean up after them or patiently wait for the men to fix
things themselves. Is it really so different from anywhere
else?
Singer turned some of his tales into a stage play and then it became a musical combining folk tunes with
new lyrics just like Singer combined folk stories with his modern wit. Robert Brustein wrote the book,Arnold Weinstein wrote the lyrics and Hankus Netsky composed the music. The result is a lot offoolishness called Shlemiel the First.
Shlemiel bickers with his understanding wife and isn't too upset when the wisest of the wise men of
Chelm suggests he go out to the wide world and tell them exactly how wise the wisest man of Chelm trulyis. So off Shlemiel goes, only he's tricked by a thief into giving up his food and heading back home whenhe thinks he's exploring new worlds. When Shlemiel finds this "new" town that features a woman exactlylike his wife and kids exactly like his children and wise men exactly like the wise of men of Chelm (in fact,they even call this new place Chelm as well!), naturally he and the wise men decide there must be TWOChelms. So poor Shlemiel must try and avoid the temptation to kiss wife #2 while the men figure outwhat went wrong and how to fix it.MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2
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Quick Read | Comments (26) | 08.20.2012August 29, 2012
Edition: U.S.
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John Hillcoat Sen. Ben Cardin
Harry Shearer Jeffrey SachsHOT ON THE BLOG
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Posted: 12/16/11 03:08 PM ET
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Silly? Of course, happily so, with a lot of rib-tickling word play and groaners thrown in for spice in this
collaboration between Theater For A New Audience and National Yiddish Theatre. The production itself
is right in tune with the show. The costumes by Catherine Zuber are amusing (they include some
imposing bosoms for the women built into the padding) and quick to change since a number of the actorsdouble their parts. The set by Robert Israel simply and deftly sets the tone by including a sloping floor tokeep people off balance along with doors and windows all akilter. The bed of Shlemiel and his wifeprovides quite a bit of good comic business since it's standing straight up and people "climb" in and outand toss and turn in amusing ways. The lighting and sound by Jennifer Tipton and David Meschtercontinue to build on the atmosphere, with Meschter doing an especially good job at miking the actorswithout making them sound too miked, so the show has a more natural, old school feel.
Above all there's the Shlemiel Band, led by pianist and conductor Zalmen Mlotek, which does full justice
to the music of the show and even provides an entertaining intermission. They receive the strongest
applause of the night and rightly so.
So what's the problem? If you can believe it, a certain... restraint. It's not often one sees a broad comedy
and walks away thinking, "Gee, I wish they'd played that a little louder, a little bigger." But MichaelIannucci is too bland and unprepossessing to command the stage as Shlemiel and doesn't even try to uphis game. Shlemiel should be the comic engine that drives the whole plot forward but he seems more likea straight man here, and not a very interesting one. It's easy to forget this is his show. Jeff Brooks is alittle better as the smartest fool, Gronam Ox (he's got a little Nathan Lane snap in his voice) but not somuch that you're overwhelmed.
The women fare much better. Amy Warren (so good in Adding Machine and August: Osage County ) is a
standout as Mrs. Shlemiel, nailing the humor and pathos and genuine affection of her character in every
scene. Kristine Zbornik is right behind her, humorously and patiently changing her costume (usually on
stage) as she flits between the imposing Yenta Pasha and several other characters. Bob Ader is shameless
-- and I thank him -- as Zalman Tippish, a rich man with a horrible cough. His "I'm Going To Die"
number almost outshines the show-stopper "Geography Song."
The voices are strong throughout and the music rousing and silly and that makes up for a lead who
would be better off following. So the women are better than the men. What could be more appropriatefor a show set in Chelm?
The Theater Season 2011-2012 (on a four star scale)The Agony And The Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs ** 1/2
All-American **
All's Well That Ends Well/Shakespeare in the Park **
The Atmosphere Of Memory 1/2 *
Bonnie & Clyde feature profile of Jeremy Jordan
Broadway By The Year: 1997 ** 1/2
The Cherry Orchard with Dianne Wiest **
Chinglish * 1/2
Crane Story **
Cymbeline at Barrow Street Theatre ***
An Evening With Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin ***
Follies *** 1/2
Fragments ***
Godspell ** 1/2
Hair ***
Hand To God ***
Hero: The Musical * 1/2
Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway ***
Irving Berlin's White Christmas ***
King Lear at Public with Sam Waterston **
Krapp's Last Tape with John Hurt ***
Lake Water **
The Most Awkward Wedding
Photobombs
Deaf Boy Asked To Make
Controversial Change (VIDEO)
PHOTO: Christina Aguilera's
'Your Body' Dress Doesn't
Leave Much To The
Imagination
DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5
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Sen. Ben Cardin
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Administration,
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WATCH: Raging Grannies
Have Some Words For
Todd Akin
Love's Labor's Lost at the PublicLab ** 1/2
Man And Boy * 1/2
The Man Who Came To Dinner **
Maple And Vine **
Master Class w Tyne Daly ** 1/2
Measure For Measure/Shakespeare in the Park ***
Milk Like Sugar ***
Misterman ** 1/2
The Mountaintop ** 1/2
Newsies **
Pigpen's The Nightmare Story *** 1/2
Once *** 1/2
Olive and The Bitter Herbs ** 1/2
On A Clear Day You Can See Forever * 1/2
One Arm ***
Other Desert Cities on Broadway ** 1/2
Private Lives **
Queen Of The Mist ** 1/2
Radio City Christmas Spectacular ** 1/2
Relatively Speaking * 1/2
The Select (The Sun Also Rises) ** 1/2
Seminar **
Septimus & Clarissa *** 1/2
Shlemiel The First ** 1/2
Silence! The Musical * 1/2
69 Degrees South * 1/2
Sons Of The Prophet *** 1/2
Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark * 1/2
Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays **
Stick Fly **
The Submission **
Sweet and Sad **
Titus Andronicus at Public with Jay O. Sanders * 1/2
Unnatural Acts ***
Venus In Fur ***
We Live Here **
Wild Animals You Should Know ** 1/2
Zarkana **
NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2011
Blanche: The Bittersweet Life Of A Wild Prairie Dame *** 1/2
Central Avenue Breakdown ** 1/2
Crazy, Just Like Me ***
Cyclops: A Rock Opera *
Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon ** 1/2
F---ing Hipsters **
Ghostlight **
Gotta Getta Girl ** 1/2 for staged reading
Greenwood *
Jack Perry Is Alive (And Dating) * 1/2
Kiki Baby ** 1/2
Kissless * 1/2
Madame X **
The Pigeon Boys ***
Time Between Us * 1/2
Tut **
FRINGEFEST NYC 2011Araby *
The Bardy Bunch **
Books On Tape ** 1/2
Civilian **
Hard Travelin' With Woody ***
Leonard Cohen Koans *** 1/2
The More Loving One **
The Mountain Song *** 1/2
Paper Cuts ***HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES
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Smoking
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Coach
Elections 2012
Natural
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Wisconsin
Shadow
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Fox News
GOP
MORE BIG NEWS PAGES »
alyssa_milano
RetweetSleep Better: How To Use All Your
Senses To Promote Sleep
http://t.co/1UxSV5oG /via @heykim
pattonoswalt
RetweetOh man. Gorgeous, touching
obituary for Tony Scott by
@KevinFCorrigan . This one's a gut-
punch: http://t.co/ajVp7K1L
Robin Williams As
Dwight D.
Eisenhower In...
Fall Movie Preview
2012: 'The Hobbit,'
'Django...
Samuel L. Jackson:
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Isaac Avoid...
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Amid Hurricane...Parker & Dizzy's Fabulous Journey To The End Of The Rainbow ** 1/2
Pearl's Gone Blue ***
Rachel Calof ** 1/2
Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending **
2 Burn * 1/2
Walls and Bridges **
What The Sparrow Said ** 1/2
Yeast Nation ***
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that
reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion
makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.
Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Note : Michael Giltz was provided with free tickets to these shows with the understanding that he
would be writing a review.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz
More in Entertainment...
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Comments are closed for this entry
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Featuring fresh takes and real-time analysis from
HuffPost's signature lineup of contributors
Michael Giltz
Freelance writerGET UPDATES FROM MICHAEL GILTZ
Follow
Musical Theater , Theater , Video , Isaac Bashevis Singer , Musicals , Yiddish ,
Entertainment NewsReact
Inspiring Funny Hot Scary Outrageous Amazing Weird CrazyTheater: "Shlemiel The First"
Klezmer Musical Sings But What'sWith The Restraint?
SCHLEMIEL THE FIRST ** 1/2 out of ****
NYU'S JACK H. SKIRBALL CENTER
Writer Isaac Bashevis Singer helped popularize folk tales
about the foolish men of Chelm , a city in Poland. In this
mythical spin on a real place (G-d help them), the wisemen of Chelm mess things up while the women eitherclean up after them or patiently wait for the men to fix
things themselves. Is it really so different from anywhere
else?
Singer turned some of his tales into a stage play and then it became a musical combining folk tunes with
new lyrics just like Singer combined folk stories with his modern wit. Robert Brustein wrote the book,Arnold Weinstein wrote the lyrics and Hankus Netsky composed the music. The result is a lot offoolishness called Shlemiel the First.
Shlemiel bickers with his understanding wife and isn't too upset when the wisest of the wise men of
Chelm suggests he go out to the wide world and tell them exactly how wise the wisest man of Chelm trulyis. So off Shlemiel goes, only he's tricked by a thief into giving up his food and heading back home whenhe thinks he's exploring new worlds. When Shlemiel finds this "new" town that features a woman exactlylike his wife and kids exactly like his children and wise men exactly like the wise of men of Chelm (in fact,they even call this new place Chelm as well!), naturally he and the wise men decide there must be TWOChelms. So poor Shlemiel must try and avoid the temptation to kiss wife #2 while the men figure outwhat went wrong and how to fix it.MOST POPULAR ON HUFFPOST 1 of 2
Isaac Balloons Into A
Hurricane, New Orleans
Threatened
Limbaugh's Wild Isaac
Conspiracy
MAP: Hurricane Isaac's Path
Aims For Gulf Coast
GOP Candidate Compares
Pregnancy From Rape To
What?
GOP Approves Abortion Ban
Sylvester Stallone's Half-
Sister Dies At 48 FOLLOW USCelebrity TV Political Hollywood Features Hollywood Buzz Videos
Help Us Write 'The Words'
Quick Read | Comments (26) | 08.20.2012August 29, 2012
Edition: U.S.
FRONT PAGE POLITICS BUSINESS MEDIA CELEBRITY TV COMEDY FOOD STYLE ARTS BOOKS LIVE ALL SECTIONS
John Hillcoat Sen. Ben Cardin
Harry Shearer Jeffrey SachsHOT ON THE BLOG
Like 102
Posted: 12/16/11 03:08 PM ET
SHARE THIS STORY
Submit this storyGet Entertainment Alerts
Sign UpSPONSOR GENERATED POST
Recommend 647
Like 6k
Recommend 206
Recommend 18k
Recommend 7k
Recommend 264Electronic Dance Music Political Hollywood The Avengers One Direction More Log in Create Account
Silly? Of course, happily so, with a lot of rib-tickling word play and groaners thrown in for spice in this
collaboration between Theater For A New Audience and National Yiddish Theatre. The production itself
is right in tune with the show. The costumes by Catherine Zuber are amusing (they include some
imposing bosoms for the women built into the padding) and quick to change since a number of the actorsdouble their parts. The set by Robert Israel simply and deftly sets the tone by including a sloping floor tokeep people off balance along with doors and windows all akilter. The bed of Shlemiel and his wifeprovides quite a bit of good comic business since it's standing straight up and people "climb" in and outand toss and turn in amusing ways. The lighting and sound by Jennifer Tipton and David Meschtercontinue to build on the atmosphere, with Meschter doing an especially good job at miking the actorswithout making them sound too miked, so the show has a more natural, old school feel.
Above all there's the Shlemiel Band, led by pianist and conductor Zalmen Mlotek, which does full justice
to the music of the show and even provides an entertaining intermission. They receive the strongest
applause of the night and rightly so.
So what's the problem? If you can believe it, a certain... restraint. It's not often one sees a broad comedy
and walks away thinking, "Gee, I wish they'd played that a little louder, a little bigger." But MichaelIannucci is too bland and unprepossessing to command the stage as Shlemiel and doesn't even try to uphis game. Shlemiel should be the comic engine that drives the whole plot forward but he seems more likea straight man here, and not a very interesting one. It's easy to forget this is his show. Jeff Brooks is alittle better as the smartest fool, Gronam Ox (he's got a little Nathan Lane snap in his voice) but not somuch that you're overwhelmed.
The women fare much better. Amy Warren (so good in Adding Machine and August: Osage County ) is a
standout as Mrs. Shlemiel, nailing the humor and pathos and genuine affection of her character in every
scene. Kristine Zbornik is right behind her, humorously and patiently changing her costume (usually on
stage) as she flits between the imposing Yenta Pasha and several other characters. Bob Ader is shameless
-- and I thank him -- as Zalman Tippish, a rich man with a horrible cough. His "I'm Going To Die"
number almost outshines the show-stopper "Geography Song."
The voices are strong throughout and the music rousing and silly and that makes up for a lead who
would be better off following. So the women are better than the men. What could be more appropriatefor a show set in Chelm?
The Theater Season 2011-2012 (on a four star scale)The Agony And The Ecstasy Of Steve Jobs ** 1/2
All-American **
All's Well That Ends Well/Shakespeare in the Park **
The Atmosphere Of Memory 1/2 *
Bonnie & Clyde feature profile of Jeremy Jordan
Broadway By The Year: 1997 ** 1/2
The Cherry Orchard with Dianne Wiest **
Chinglish * 1/2
Crane Story **
Cymbeline at Barrow Street Theatre ***
An Evening With Patti Lupone and Mandy Patinkin ***
Follies *** 1/2
Fragments ***
Godspell ** 1/2
Hair ***
Hand To God ***
Hero: The Musical * 1/2
Hugh Jackman: Back On Broadway ***
Irving Berlin's White Christmas ***
King Lear at Public with Sam Waterston **
Krapp's Last Tape with John Hurt ***
Lake Water **
The Most Awkward Wedding
Photobombs
Deaf Boy Asked To Make
Controversial Change (VIDEO)
PHOTO: Christina Aguilera's
'Your Body' Dress Doesn't
Leave Much To The
Imagination
DON'T MISS HUFFPOST BLOGGERS 1 of 5
John Hillcoat
Lawless: Reinventing the Gangster
Sen. Ben Cardin
This Is No Way to Win an Election
TOP VIDEO PICKS 1 of 8
MOST DISCUSSED RIGHT NOW 1 of 2
HOT ON FACEBOOK 1 of 3
HOT ON TWITTER 1 of 2Like 715
Like 2k
Like 195
Surprising New Aniston Rumor
Pink's Super Sheer Outfit
Housewives' Clooney
Connection
Samuel L. Jackson's
Shocking Tweets About
Isaac
Jon Voight Blasts Obama
Administration,
Mainstream Media
Shia LaBeouf Dropped
Acid For His New Film
WATCH: Raging Grannies
Have Some Words For
Todd Akin
Love's Labor's Lost at the PublicLab ** 1/2
Man And Boy * 1/2
The Man Who Came To Dinner **
Maple And Vine **
Master Class w Tyne Daly ** 1/2
Measure For Measure/Shakespeare in the Park ***
Milk Like Sugar ***
Misterman ** 1/2
The Mountaintop ** 1/2
Newsies **
Pigpen's The Nightmare Story *** 1/2
Once *** 1/2
Olive and The Bitter Herbs ** 1/2
On A Clear Day You Can See Forever * 1/2
One Arm ***
Other Desert Cities on Broadway ** 1/2
Private Lives **
Queen Of The Mist ** 1/2
Radio City Christmas Spectacular ** 1/2
Relatively Speaking * 1/2
The Select (The Sun Also Rises) ** 1/2
Seminar **
Septimus & Clarissa *** 1/2
Shlemiel The First ** 1/2
Silence! The Musical * 1/2
69 Degrees South * 1/2
Sons Of The Prophet *** 1/2
Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark * 1/2
Standing On Ceremony: The Gay Marriage Plays **
Stick Fly **
The Submission **
Sweet and Sad **
Titus Andronicus at Public with Jay O. Sanders * 1/2
Unnatural Acts ***
Venus In Fur ***
We Live Here **
Wild Animals You Should Know ** 1/2
Zarkana **
NEW YORK MUSICAL THEATRE FESTIVAL 2011
Blanche: The Bittersweet Life Of A Wild Prairie Dame *** 1/2
Central Avenue Breakdown ** 1/2
Crazy, Just Like Me ***
Cyclops: A Rock Opera *
Ennio: The Living Paper Cartoon ** 1/2
F---ing Hipsters **
Ghostlight **
Gotta Getta Girl ** 1/2 for staged reading
Greenwood *
Jack Perry Is Alive (And Dating) * 1/2
Kiki Baby ** 1/2
Kissless * 1/2
Madame X **
The Pigeon Boys ***
Time Between Us * 1/2
Tut **
FRINGEFEST NYC 2011Araby *
The Bardy Bunch **
Books On Tape ** 1/2
Civilian **
Hard Travelin' With Woody ***
Leonard Cohen Koans *** 1/2
The More Loving One **
The Mountain Song *** 1/2
Paper Cuts ***HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES
Snooki
Smoking
Ask The Parent
Coach
Elections 2012
Natural
Disasters
Wisconsin
Shadow
Conventions
2012
Fox News
GOP
MORE BIG NEWS PAGES »
alyssa_milano
RetweetSleep Better: How To Use All Your
Senses To Promote Sleep
http://t.co/1UxSV5oG /via @heykim
pattonoswalt
RetweetOh man. Gorgeous, touching
obituary for Tony Scott by
@KevinFCorrigan . This one's a gut-
punch: http://t.co/ajVp7K1L
Robin Williams As
Dwight D.
Eisenhower In...
Fall Movie Preview
2012: 'The Hobbit,'
'Django...
Samuel L. Jackson:
'Unfair' Hurricane
Isaac Avoid...
Lynyrd Skynyrd's
RNC Gig Canceled
Amid Hurricane...Parker & Dizzy's Fabulous Journey To The End Of The Rainbow ** 1/2
Pearl's Gone Blue ***
Rachel Calof ** 1/2
Romeo & Juliet: Choose Your Own Ending **
2 Burn * 1/2
Walls and Bridges **
What The Sparrow Said ** 1/2
Yeast Nation ***
Thanks for reading. Michael Giltz is the cohost of Showbiz Sandbox, a weekly pop culture podcast that
reveals the industry take on entertainment news of the day and features top journalists and opinion
makers as guests. It's available for free on iTunes. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog.
Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his radio show, also called Popsurfing and alsoavailable for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.
Note : Michael Giltz was provided with free tickets to these shows with the understanding that he
would be writing a review.
Follow Michael Giltz on Twitter: www.twitter.com/michaelgiltz
More in Entertainment...
Advertise | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Careers | FAQ
User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | About Our Ads | Contact Us
Copyright © 2012 TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | "The Huffington Post" is a registered trademark of TheHuffingtonPost.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
Part of AOL-HuffPost EntertainmentRecency | PopularityComments 0 Pending Comments 0 View FAQ
Comments are closed for this entry
View All