Join YIVO for a performance of the music of “Khantshe in Amerike,” a 1912 operetta with music by Joseph Rumshinsky, play by Nokhem Rakov, and lyrics by Isidore Lillian.
Premiered in New York City, “Khantshe in Amerike” was subsequently performed around the world. The show was a turning point in Rumshinsky’s output, noted for having put “American rhythm” on the Yiddish stage for the first time according to Yiddish theater historian Zalmen Zylbercweig (1894–1972). “Khantshe” was also a star vehicle which marked a pivotal moment in the career of singer, actor, and impresario Bessie Thomashefsky.
“Khantshe in Amerike” is a musical comedy whose action revolves around an independent minded young woman named Khantshe who dresses as a man and becomes the chauffeur for the wealthy Rubin Goldhendler. The show touches on serious topics including love, gender, women’s suffrage, and the changing social status of women in turn-of-the-century America.
Reconstructed from a variety of archival materials collected at YIVO—including from the recently donated Thomashefsky Archive from Michael Tilson Thomas—the operetta will be performed by students of the Bard Conservatory Vocal Arts Program.
This event forms part of Carnegie Hall’s festival “United in Sound: America at 250.” Co-sponsored by the American Society for Jewish Music’s Jewish Music Forum.
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