The Sorceress, the first Yiddish play in America…and the latest

Mikhl Yashinsky as Bobe Yahkne, the scheming witch of The Sorceress

The Sorceress (Di Kishefmakherin), the first work of Yiddish theatre ever presented in America, is back on stage in New York 136 years after its U.S. premiere. In my article for TDF Stages, Yiddish Culture Is Alive and Well and Playing in New York, I talk to Motl and Mikhl, the director of the play and the star, who portrays the wicked witch, Bobe Yakhne, in drag. Though Babe is the villain, she is the title character.

The Sorceress, by the same company that put together the acclaimed “Fiddler on the Roof” in Yiddish, is just one of three events this month that demonstrate a resurgence in interest in Yiddish language and culture. The others are the inaugural YI Love New York Yiddishfest (December 21-29) and the fifth annual Yiddish New York (December 21-26) Below, more production photographs from “The Sorceress”

Author: New York Theater

Jonathan Mandell is a 3rd generation NYC journalist, who sees shows, reads plays, writes reviews and sometimes talks with people.

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