Lives in the Yiddish Theatre
SHORT BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE INVOLVED IN THE Yiddish THEATRE
aS DESCRIBED IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"

1931-1969
 

Isidor Meltzer

 

M. was born on 15 April 1883 in Brest-Litovsk, Polish Lithuania. M.'s not-well-to-do parents had wanted to make him a craftsman, but he became exited for the stage because already at the age of twelve he sang with the Brisk cantor, and at the same time in the woman's choir of the Yiddish theatre. At age fifteen M. already performed with a Yiddish troupe in which he sang "[heyse babelekh]" in Goldfaden's "Bobe yakhne".

In 1903 M. came to America and entered into the Metropolitan Singer Hall in Brownsville, where he received fifteen cents a night to sing in the chorus and to act in episodic roles. M. wanted however to enter into one of the former vaudeville theatres, and he had to become a member in the vaudeville union. He almost was able to pay the fifty dollars entrance dues, and M. became a dyer until he could come up with the entire sum. He then became a member in the union and began to act in vaudeville.

Later M. acted in legitimate theatre in Philadelphia, Chicago, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Boston, Detroit, Cleveland, and in Canada: in Montreal, Toronto and Winnipeg.

In 1924 M. acted in London and in other European cities. In 1926 he was in New York's Lenox Theatre, from 1927-29 in Philadelphia, guest-starring in the summertime in London, 1929-30 in the Bronx's Prospect Theatre, and later across the American province.


Sh. E.

 

  • Uriel Mazik -- Bilder-galereye fun unzere idishe shoyshpiler, "Tog", N. Y., 2 February 1918.

  • Isidor Meltzer -- Album fun filadelfier idishe shoyshpiler, "Forward", Philadelphia, 9 October 1927.

  • Izidor Meltzer -- Vi azoy bin ikh gekumen tsu der bihne, "Di post", London, 27 January 1928.

  • Sh. Pan -- Meltsers oyftrit in pavilion theater, "Di post", London, 27 may 1928.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 2, page 1354.
 

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