Reviews and Features
STILL FOLLOWING YIDDISH TRADITION
The New York Post Review
By Frank Scheck
November 27, 2009
Having played Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” more than 2,000 times, Theodore Bikel clearly owes a debt to the writer who created him.
He repays it in his one-man show, “Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears,” a tribute that opens the Folksbiene’s 95th season at its new home at the Baruch College Performing Arts Center.
Aleichem was dedicated to preserving the Yiddish language and culture in which he was raised. Bikel has a similar mission. Indeed, one of the most moving moments of the show is when, as himself, he relates how he promised his dying father that he would continue to read Yiddish-language books. Throughout the evening, he alternates between anecdotes and songs performed in English and Yiddish (translations are provided). He also dramatizes several Aleichem stories, including, of course, that of Tevye the milkman.
As directed by Derek Goldman, the evening is filled with poignancy and humor. Evocative projections of vintage photographs help bring to life the colorful imagination and rich warmth of a writer who, as he put it, told stories “from the shtetl of my imagination.”
EXTENDING THE REACH OFA GREAT YIDDISH WRITER, UNTO THE NEXT GENERATION
The New York Times Theater Review
By Rachel Saltz
November 18, 2009
The most moving part of “Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears,” Theodore Bikel’s one-man play with songs at the Baruch Performing Arts Center, comes near the beginning. “Ver bet blaybn, vos vet blaybn?” Mr. Bikel sings, and then translates: “Who will remain? What will remain?”
THEODORE BIKEL’S HISTORY WITH SHOLOM ALEICHEM
San Francisco Chronicle Feature
Jessica Werner Zack
January 24, 2010
Theodore Bikel may be exaggerating only slightly when he jokes that he might know Tevye the Dairyman better by now than Sholom Aleichem ever did.
Bikel first stepped into Tevye's rumpled boots and shook his fist at God onstage in "Fiddler on the Roof" more than 40 years ago and has since played the great Yiddish writer's beloved and beleaguered Tevye more than 2,000 times - and counting.
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A HISTORY BROUGHT TO LIFE
Toronto Sun
By John Coulbourn
October 16, 2009
If it is indeed true -- and I suspect it is -- that those who forget history are doomed to repeat it, then Eastern European Jews and their descendants the world over owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to a fellow named Sholom Yakov Rabinovitz.
And frankly, so do the rest of us.
Never heard of him, you say?
SUNRISE, SUNSET: THEODORE BIKEL HAS NEW HORIZON IN VIEW
Washington Post
Feature by Nelson Pressley
December 22, 2008
What's a sensible age for a performer to venture a first solo show -- 21? 30?
How about 84?
Theodore Bikel -- 84 and married (again) just last month -- is ready for it. The folk singer-actor-activist has spent a lifetime performing, and now, in a rehearsal room at Georgetown University, his impressively resonant voice still sounds like thunder rumbling through a valley.
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MEET THEODORE BIKEL, THE MAN BEHIND TEVYE
The Miami Herald
Feature by Christine Dolen
January 28, 2009
Theodore Bikel, the multifaceted actor, singer and activist, has given more than 2,000 performances as Tevye, the beleaguered and beloved Russian-Jewish milkman in "Fiddler on the Roof".
YIDDISH HUMORIST EMBODIED IN VETERAN ACTOR’S SOLO SHOW
The Miami Herald
Reviewed by Christine Dolen
January 30, 2009
Theodore Bikel poses a brief series of poignant questions just moments into "Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears," his touching solo show that is in South Florida for a too-brief run.
"What will you remember when these seats are cold?" asks the celebrated actor, who will celebrate his 85th birthday in a few months. "Will you remember me? What will remain?"
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SHOLOM ALEICHEM: LAUGHTER THROUGH TEARS
DC Theater Scene
Reviewed by Joel Markowitz
December 23, 2008
Light your Chanukah candles, eat your latkes and spin your dreidels! Let’s all dance Di Mezinke! Chanukah is here, and Theater J has given us reason for rejoicing. Theo’s back in "Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears" at Theater J , and he’s brought along two of his very best friends - Sholom Aleichem and Tevye, and two great musicians to help him spin his stories - his wife, the pianist Tamara Brooks, and accordionist Merima Kljuco.
HEARTFELT, SENTIMENTAL EVENING… BIKEL’S ‘SHOLOM ALEICHEM’ A LOVE LETTER TO LOST CULTURE
Washington Jewish Review
Reviewed by Lisa Traiger
Arts Correspondent
December 24, 2008
Just a fortnight ago, not far from Sholom Aleichem's hometown in Pereyaslav, Ukraine, the city of Kiev marked the 150th anniversary of the Yiddish humorist and writer's birth. He is best remembered for the vivid shtetl characters he created: Tevye the Milkman, who takes his complaints straight to God; Menachem Mendel, the luftmensch or dreamer; and Beryl Itzik, misbegotten traveler who reports from the goldeneh medina, better known these days as America.
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SAYING HELLO ONCE AGAIN, TO SHOLOM ALEICHEM: THEODORE BIKEL REVIVES TEVYE
Jewish Press
Reviewed by Menachem Wecker
January 7, 2009
Generally, sequels are best avoided. It should not have taken three remakes to prove that the first "Planet of the Apes" was more than enough, and the movie-going public would have been far better off without repeats of films like "Legally Blonde" and "Weekend at Bernie's." Therefore, seeing "Fiddler on the Roof Returns" or "Sholom Aleichem Strikes Back" on the shelf at your local movie rental shop should not inspire excitement - but in the capable hands of award-winning actor Theodore Bikel, Tevye's return is anything but redundant.
A LOVING, UNEVEN TRIBUTE: BIKEL’S ONE-MAN ‘SHOLOM’
Washington Post
Reviewed by Celia Wren
December 24, 2008
Theater J's latest offering, "Sholom Aleichem: Laughter Through Tears," is a world premiere solo vehicle written, sung and acted -- with touching reverence and some verve -- by showbiz luminary Theodore Bikel. His 90-minute homage, directed by Derek Goldman, has halting moments, and feels more like a labor of love than a definitive piece of stagecraft. But it will no doubt appeal to passionate admirers of Aleichem's vibrant writing, theatergoers with an interest in Yiddish (the language in which the author principally wrote) and, of course, fans of the 84-year-old Bikel...
