Tales from the Rebbe's Table
by Flora B. Atkin
Music by Shirley Udelson
Musical based on Jewish folklore for four men, three women, unit set. 55 minutes. Ages 6 and up. $ 6.50
The author of Golliwhoppers! has returned to her forte--folk tales stylized and marvelously dramatized, and this time enhanced by lovely songs and dances well suited to young performers. These Tales from the Rebbe's Table will be familiar to many of an older generation, yet to the children in your audience they well be enchanting and new. Among the stories are The Tailor's Crowded House, Sollie Buys a Goat, and a traditional Jewish wedding at which the Rebbe appears in two disguises. Delightful in themselves, they gain in richness and depth as they are woven into the lives of three families whose houses cluster around the courtyard of a synagogue of an Eastern European shtetl in the days when our great grandparents were children.
What the villagers learned at their Rebbe's table is part of the rich heritage of our multicultural past. These Tales give you a wonderful way to share it with today's children.
Tales from the Rebbe's Table can be well played by young performers, but it is sophisticated enough to engage the talents of adult players.
In the shtetls of Eastern Europe one or two centuries ago, the rebbe served as the central figure in tiny Jewish communities. Families came to the rebbe for advice, wisdom, counseling, financial and social problems. And the rebbe, a learned man, was meant to solve them. Part psychologist, part soothsayer, even part magician, the rebbe was a powerful and respected figure. Legends and folk tales evolved depicting his wisdom and wit.
A new play for children ages 5-11 revives shtetl life for 20th century kids. Tales from the Rebbe's Table revolves around three Jewish families whose houses cluster around the courtyard of the shtetl shul. Out of each of the families grows a folktale and, as each of the tales is dramatized, characters from the families mix and mingle. Throughout it all, the rebbe is there observing, overseeing and advising in his special way.
Renowned playwright and children's theatre expert, Flora Atkin believes children of any faith will be entertained and educated by the play. It's rich in Jewish folklore and tradition. The rebbe is a wise man, with characteristics of Elijah the prophet; there's manipulation; he's whimsical, and even performs some miraculous deeds. And some of these tales are heard worldwide. If there's a niversality to it and children can relate to it, they will watch.
Lisa Traiger
Washington Jewish Week
