Rothschild's Fiddle at the Yale Rep

[Kate Holland]

I am forwarding this on behalf of the Yale Rep.  Please direct any
enquiries to them, contact details below,
Best
Kate Holland


>
>
>Yale Repertory Theatre
>
>Don't miss the world-premiere production coming to Yale Rep from Moscow!
>
>Rothschild's Fiddle
>short story by Anton Chekhov
>Adapted and Directed by Kama Ginkas
>Performed in Russian with English supertitles
>January 14 - 13, 2004
>
>ROTHSCHILD S FIDDLE
>
>  In January 2004, Yale Repertory Theatre presents the results of a unique
> international collaboration with the world premiere production of
> Rothschild s Fiddle, an adaptation of Anton Chekhov s short story,
> adapted and directed by Kama Ginkas, one of Russia s most acclaimed and
> inventive directors.
>
>  Chekhov s short story is a moving fable about the village curmudgeon,
> Yakov Ivanov, a 70-year old coffin maker living in a town where people
> die so rarely it s annoying.   No wonder, then, that he spends most days
> anxiously waiting for Death to bring him some business, passing the time
> by playing his fiddle in the local Jewish band.  When Death does bring
> him a somewhat surprising customer, he strives to find meaning and value
> in the absurdity and ordinariness of life before it s too late:
>
>Why did people always do exactly what they should not do?  Why had Yakov
>spent his whole life abusing people, growling at them, threatening them
>with his fists, and offending his wife, and, you might ask, what need had
>there been to frighten and insult the Jew earlier that day?  Generally,
>why did people interfere with each other s lives?  It made for such
>losses!  Such terrible losses!  If there were no hatred and malice, people
>would be of enormous benefit to each other.
>
>  Kama Ginkas was born in Lithuania and came to broad recognition in
> Russia in the mid-1980 s with the propagation of perestroika.  His Moscow
> productions have toured throughout Belgium, Bulgaria, Finland, Germany,
> Poland, Sweden, Turkey, and the former Yugoslavia.
>
>  Moscow Times critic John Freedman, who has chronicled the work of the
> artist, notes what have emerged as trademarks of Kama Ginkas
> work:   Humor and horror are mixed inextricably.  The result is a
> powerful, very personal kind of theatre that is liable to hit a spectator
> like a fist in the solar plexus.  Another trademark is his ability to
> imbue the most common objects and actions with emotional force.  He calls
> it evoking a physiological response from the spectator.
>
>  Yale Repertory Theatre comes to this international collaboration with
> Moscow s internationally renowned MTYZ Theatre/Moscow New Generations
> Theatre company through the guiding vision of Artistic Director James
> Bundy:  Theater is a unique vehicle for discovering and probing the most
> immediate and profound questions of our time.  International theatrical
> collaboration enhances the growth of human understanding: by helping us
> to recognize our similarities and differences; by engaging us in a
> dialogue about what the world is; and by allowing us to dream the world
> as the better place it may become.   Further evidence of Yale Rep s
> commitment to explore the Russian culture was the decision to perform the
> play in Russian with English supertitles.  Yale Rep aims to excite its
> current audience with the unique nature of the collaboration, as well as
> reach out to the substantial Russian community of New England and New York.
>
>Performed at the University Theatre
>
>222 York Street, New Haven
>
>Tickets 203-432-1234
>
>Special rates for groups of 10 or more!
>
>Call 203-432-1572 for more information.
><http://www.yalerep.org>www.yalerep.org
>
>Ticket prices range from $15 (groups) to $42
>
>This production is generously supported by Peter Hoffman, Seven Arts, Ltd.

Kate Holland
PhD Candidate,
Department of Slavic Languages and Literatures,
Yale University,
PO Box 208236,
New Haven
CT 06520

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