Acclaimed revival of lost 1923 romantic musical comedy returns for a limited engagement encore.
July 4 – August 28 at Museum of Jewish Heritage
Critics' Pick! "Deeply satisfying… a revelation." -- The New York Times
"This muscular production is no museum piece…the whole show glows with the joy and energy of a great party." -- The New Yorker
"Charming in every respect…. musical theatre fans should make a beeline to the Museum of Jewish Heritage for this all-too-rare opportunity to check out a piece of the past in a first-class production." -- Lighting&Sound America
"A Yiddish musical gem… The Golden Bride serves musical quality, aesthetic potency and a thoroughly entertaining evening. " -- Theater is Easy
“Enchanting...Like Yiddish itself, 'The Golden Bride' is an eclectic mixture that ends up being totally unique and wonderful." -- CurtainUp
One of the most acclaimed musicals of 2015 returns for a limited engagement. Beginning July 4th, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene [NYTF] presents an encore of the first Off-Broadway revival of the lost Yiddish-American hit operetta THE GOLDEN BRIDE (Di Goldene Kale). Featuring a cast of 20 and an orchestra of 14, this rare glimpse back into musical theater history will run through August 28 at The Museum of Jewish Heritage’s Edmond J. Safra Hall. The production was made possible, in part, through crowdfunding; over 500 patrons made donations totaling more than $50,000.
During its past winter run, The Golden Bride found universal praise among the critics and launched an initiative between NYTF and MJH to bring history and culture to life, by incorporating live performance with educational satellite events and exhibits. And as part of a special promotion, the Museum of Jewish Heritage will include FREE same-day museum admission for all ticket purchases to The Golden Bride.
In THE GOLDEN BRIDE, a beautiful young woman named Goldele, abandoned as a child, receives an unexpected inheritance and sets off on a journey across the seas to claim her estate, find her mother and offer her hand to the man who can help.
With music by famed Yiddish composer Joseph Rumshinsky, libretto by Frieda Freiman and lyrics by Louis Gilrod, this long-running popular romantic comedy premiered in 1923 and was revived consistently and presented internationally through the 1940's, but was lost to time following the Second World War. In 1984, Dr. Michael Ochs, former head of the music library at Harvard unearthed an original vocal score and manuscript for Di Goldene Kale and spent a number of years translating, researching and reconstructing this nearly-forgotten treasure.
THE GOLDEN BRIDE stars Rachel Zatcoff (coming directly from a run as Christine in Phantom of the Opera on Broadway), Bob Ader (Broadway's All the Way Home), Glenn Seven Allen (Broadway's Light in the Piazza), Lisa Fishman (Off Broadway's On Second Avenue), Regina Gibson (Off Broadway's The Apple Tree), Cameron Johnson (Into the Woods), Rachel Policar (Off Broadway's HMS Pinafore), Bruce Rebold (Off Broadway's Kiss Me Kate), and Adam B. Shapiro (HBO's The Normal Heart). Rounding out the cast is an ensemble featuring Jordan Becke, Alex Bird, Samantha Britt, Michael Einav, Samantha Funk, Jessica Rose Futran, Lianne Gennaco, Cody A. Hernandez, Joseph Mace, Emma Ritchie, and Tatiana Wechsler. It is presented in Yiddish with English and Russian supertitles
THE GOLDEN BRIDE creative team is comprised of direction by 2016 Drama Desk Award nominees Bryna Wasserman (The Golden Land, On Second Avenue) and Motl Didner (Fyvush Finkel Live), music direction by Zalmen Mlotek (Broadway's Those Were the Days), set by John Dinning, costumes by Izzy Fields (Roundabout's Consent), sound design by John Emmett O'Brien, lighting by Yael Lubetzky (Broadway's Russell Simmons Def Poetry Jam), choreography by Merete Muenter (The Megile of Itzik Manger), libretto / score editing and translation by Michael Ochs, and casting by Jamibeth Margolis, C.S.A. (Broadway's Phantom of the Opera, Les Misérables). NYTF Executive Producer Christopher Massimine (Broadway's It Shoulda Been You and American Idiot) heads production and promotion as showrunner.
Since 1915, the award-winning National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene [NYTF] has presented a window into the world of Jewish culture by engaging, educating, and igniting the imaginations of generations of theatergoers. It is the longest consecutively-producing Yiddish theatre company in the world and NYC’s longest consecutively-producing performing arts company. NYTF presents plays, musicals, concerts, literary events and workshops in English, Yiddish, Ladino, Hebrew and Russian, with English and Russian supertitles accompanying most performances. Its mission is to celebrate the Jewish experience through the performing arts by transmitting a rich cultural legacy in exciting new ways that bridge social and cultural divides. www.nytf.org
The Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust presents exhibitions that educate people of all ages and backgrounds about the rich tapestry of Jewish life over the past century—before, during, and after the Holocaust. The special exhibition Seeking Justice: The Leo Frank Case Revisited is on view through summer 2016. Stitching History From the Holocaust will be on view from April 13 to August 14, 2016. The Museum is also home to the award-winning Keeping History Center, an interactive visitor experience, and Andy Goldsworthy’s memorial Garden of Stones. In Edmond J. Safra Hall, the Museum offers visitors a vibrant public program schedule celebrating the richness of Jewish culture and ideas. The Museum receives general operating support from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs and New York State Council on the Arts. www.mjhnyc.org
THE GOLDEN BRIDE runs July 4 – August 28, 2016 on the following schedule: Mondays at 7:30pm; Wednesdays at 2pm & 7:30pm; Thursdays at 2pm; and Sundays at 2pm & 6pm. With additional performances July 4 at 6pm, July 14 at 7:30pm, July 15 at 1pm, August 9 at 2pm, August 11 at 7:30pm. The Museum of Jewish Heritage is located at 36 Battery Place at First Place -- accessible from the 4/5 trains at Bowling or the 1/R at Rector Street. Tickets are $40 at (866) 811-4111 or nytf.org.