The Theatre

THE ZWIE FAMILY, a play in three acts, by David Pinski. Translated from the Yiddish by Isaac Goldberg. Designed and directed by Saul Morris and presented by the Forum Theatre Group at the Sutton Theatre with the following cast: (In the order of their appearance

(The sons of Yekef and Minye)

Men, Women and children Over at the little Sutton Theatre on East Fifty-sixth street the Forum Theatre Group is giving for a limited engagement which is scheduled to end Sunday night, the first presentation in English of David Pinski’s famous Yiddish drama, “The Zwie Family.” Isaac Goldberg, essayist and biographer, is responsible for the translation.

But into English, the play loses some of its intensity and drama but the intelligent directing and acting compensates somewhat for this weakness. Jules Artfield, who plays the part of Reb Mayshe, the orthodox Jew who takes his Judaism seriously, handles his role with feeling and skill. The rest of the cast, although not over burdened with talent, is adequate.

The background of the play is a Jewish community in Russia. Specifically the plot concerns the happenings in a Jewish family, three generations of whom are alive. The old grandfather is Reb Mayshe and he is a Jew who believes implicity in the tenets of his religion. When a pogrom threatens the existence of the community the old man’s first thoughts are to protect the Torah. He makes a plea to his fellow townsmen and family but it seems as though they have all grown away from a fanatical belief in the sacredness of orthodox Judaism. His children and grandchild are especially uninterested and they are much more concerned with saving themselves.

The Reb then starts a search for a real Jew, a Jew who attaches more importance to the preservation of the Torah than he does to his own life. But the old man cannot find a protector. He questions everyone he meets but receives, instead of help, an idea of how far away from orthodox Judaism his people have gone. Finally he returns to the synagogue alone. He hears a noise outside the doors and his grandson enters. The old man believes that at last he has found the Jew he has been seeking but the young man wishes to save not the Torah but the old man’s life. The disappointment kills him.

“The Zwie Family” is a dramatic and often moving play. It is another shot at the perpetual question of religion and faith. The producers make this query. “Is this play exclusively Jewish?” The answer, I believe, must be in the negative. Change the Torah to the New Testament or Altar, make the Reb a Priest or a Minister of the Gospel and you still have the same basic problem.

On Broadway this season you have already had “Days Without End” and “The Joyous Season,” two plays that dealt with the same theme. “The Zwie Family” can take its place in this cycle. It is a thought-provoking production and I have a suspicion that you will find in it much that will stir you.