ABI GEZUNT1,
Jacob Kalich and Sholem Perlmutter; music by
Joseph Rumshinsky, lyrics by Molly Picon
(English: So Long As You're Healthy)
Here
is part of the program from the Second Avenue Theatre production of
"Abi Gezunt," when it played in New York City on
Sunday evening, December 11, 1949. The show
actually opened on October 8, 1949. Here is the
cast at the time the production opened (in
alphabetical order):
SYNOPSIS
ACT 1
SCENE 1:
A third-rate
Catskill Mountain hotel called "Bialystok
Manor."
The opening ballet
depicts a typical activity of such places as we
see an animated card game. One of the owners of
the hotel, PEMPICK (played by Irving Jacobson),
listens to the complaints of the various guests.
COOKY, the hotel cook (played by Henrietta
Jacobson), is angry that PEMPICK's partner,
RESNICK (played by Muni Serebroff), who has just
been married a year, has been paying too much
attention to the social director's wife,
JEANETTE. She complains that this friendship is
not "kosher" and against the policies of this
"strictly kosher" establishment -- which is the
perfect cue for their delightful number,
"STRICTLY KOSHER."
SCENE 2:
The social
director, HAPPY (played by Julius Adler), enters
and gets a calling down from one of the guests,
MRS. VIERNICK (with a capital "WEE"), played by
Reizl Bozyk) -- she complains that there aren't
enough "ACTIVITIES." This inspires the social
director to make musical comments about the
plight of a social director.
SCENE 3:
The scene shifts
and we find ourselves in a hidden "nook for
necking," where RESNICK and JEANETTE (played by
Mae Schoenfeld), are living up to COOKY's
complaints. An indignant PEMPICK enters and
bawls out his partner and reminds him that is
was only a year ago that he, RESNICK, went to
his European home town as a delegate from his
organization with bundles for the relief of the
Jews of that war-stricken town.
In a flashback we
see TZIRELE (played by MOLLY PICON), dressed in
American cast-off garments from the bundle. She
sings a satirical number about the contents of
the bundles. RESNICK enters and declares his
love for TZIRELE, and the ballet depicts the
wedding of RESNICK and TZIRELE.
We flash back to
the present again as TZIRELE enters. She
immediately realizes what has been going on and
warns JEANETTE away from her husband. RESNICK
defends JEANETTE, saying that she has great
charm -- that she is a French woman of great
sophistication, and that he finds TZIRELE
dull by comparison. TZIRELE says that if RESNICK
is that interested in French charm, she can
invite her twin sister, MIRELE, who is just
arriving from Paris to visit her.
RESNICK complains
that TZIRELE is much too Orthodox and pious, and
that she insists on observing every minor fast
day, to the discomfort of her guests. He says
that these observances are no longer necessary,
since the Jews have a land of their own now --
Israel. TZIRELE cannot agree with is point of
view because, she says, the past must be
remembered. She then sings a song that shows how
the past has brought about the present --
Israel.
SCENE 4:
This scene takes
place in the social hall of Bialystok Manor and
HAPPY is preparing for the evening's
entertainment. COOKY's two daughters (played by
the Feder Sisters), are rehearsing their number,
"SAY IT WITH A SONG." RESNICK comes in and tells
HAPPY that TZIRELE will not be there this
evening since, when she arrived in New York to
pick up her twin sister, MIRELE, she received a
wire to go to Pittsburgh because her grandmother
was ill. But MIRELE, the sophisticated French
sister, has already arrived at the hotel, and it
is so thrillingly lovely that he wants HAPPY to
introduce her to the guests at the performance
that evening.
ACT 2
SCENE 1:
The front lawn of
Bialystok Manor.
HAPPY and JEANETTE
extol the joys of country life -- and to prove
their point the ballet does "THE DANCE OF
THE BUGS." PEMPICK by now is so in love with
MIRELE that he can hardly see straight. He
sings, "ABI GEZUNT," which means, "As Long As
You're Healthy."
SCENE 2:
Mirele's room in
the hotel.
RESNICK is making
ardent love to his wife's twin sister. MIRELE is
slowly getting drunk. She pumps RESNICK, trying
to find out exactly why he is no longer in love
with TZIRELE. RESNICK declares that he loves
MIRELE so much, he is going to divorce TZIRELE.
He exits to write a letter to his wife, telling
her of his great decision. This leaves the stage
to TZIRELE, who takes advantage of the situation
to sing the very humorous "MANHATTAN COCKTAIL."
In comes TZIRELE's
uncle, PINYA, from Pittsburgh (played by Max
Bozyk). He almost spills the beans when he tells
RESNICK that TZIRELE is not in Pittsburgh --
that her grandmother is not even sick. And he
starts to say that TZIRELE never had a twin
sister, but TZIRELE manages, through gestures,
to keep PINYA quiet. RESNICK leaves to deliver
his letter to TZIRELE.
The uncle and
niece sing a duet, extolling the wonderful charm
of Yiddish as a language. They sing,
"MAMA-LOSHN" (Mother Tongue).
SCENE 3:
In front of the
Bialystok Manor.
Enter COOKY, her
two daughters; Mrs. VIERNICK and JEANETTE. This
quintet from Sullivan County complains that the
"French" MIRELE has alienated the affections of
all the men at the hotel and has left them
without even dancing partners. So they whirl to
their own private dance -- "THE TZIMMIS POLKA."
PEMPICK upbraids
RESNICK for wanting to divorce his wife. Uncle
PINYA announces that TZIRELE has come back from
Pittsburgh and is following her husband's
example because she has also found a new love.
HAPPY comes in and RESNICK accuses him of
stealing his wife's affections.
Meanwhile, PEMPICK
and COOKY have married. TZIRELE tells RESNICK
that she's leaving him because he, too, has a
new love. RESNICK pleads with her -- saying, it
was only a flirtation -- and that the one he
really wants is TZIRELE. TZIRELE says, "Well,
all right. Then tell it to MIRELE."
Whereupon, TZIRELE
strips off her demure gown to reveal that she is
her own twin sister. This ties up all the loose
ends to everyone's satisfaction and still leaves
enough time for a "dessert" concocted by Jacob
Kalich. This is a review of all the characters
that Molly has played in this very theatre.
Various members of
the company appear dressed as characters made
famous by Miss Picon. And finally, Molly herself
comes out as "YANKELE" -- which was the very
first part Mr. Kalich wrote for her. And it was
in this role that she first appeared on the
stage of the Second Avenue Theatre 25 years ago.
*
* *
The song, "ABI GEZUNT"
Hear it here.
Lyrics:
A bit of sun, a
bit of rain,
a peaceful place to lay your head …
so long as you’re healthy, you can be happy.
A
shoe, a sock, an outfit without patches,
three or four measly coins in your pocket …
so long as you’re healthy, you can be happy.
The air is free, equal for all;
the sun shines for everyone,
whether rich or poor.
A
little rejoicing, a little laughter,
some schnapps with a friend once in a while …
so long as you’re healthy, you can be happy.
Some look for riches,
some look for power,
to conquer the whole world.
Some think that all happiness
depends only on money.
Let them all search,
let them all scrounge.
But I think to myself that
I have no use for such things,
since happiness is waiting at my doorstep.
*** The Yiddish script for "Abi Gezunt" can be
found, beginning on page 17, at:
https://digipres.cjh.org/delivery/DeliveryManagerServlet?dps_pid=IE136199
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