A distinguished audience gave an enthusiastic reception last night to the premiere performance in Israel of Negro author James Baldwin’s "The Amen Corner."
The play, the first contribution by a United States company to the current Israel Festival, featured a performance by Claudia McNeil, a Negro actress who was raised as a foster child by Jewish parents on New York’s East Side. She received applause both for her performance and for a curtain speech, sprinkled with Yiddish expressions. "I could only wish my Jewish foster parents could be here but I believe they are here in spirit," she said.
The audience included United States Ambassador Walworth Barbour and Mr. Baldwin, who took a curtain call and introduced Miss McNeil.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
