Moshe Shapiro
According to Chinke
Braginska, for two to three years S. was in the troupe
of her husband (Misha Fiszon), then when the actor
Yitzkhok Zandberg became director of a Yiddish theatre
in Lodz, he, as his brother-in-law (the husband of Julia
Zandberg's sister) went over to play with him.
In his book, "Memoirs," the
actor Benzion Palepade recalls:
"In one town in our
wanderings there came to our troupe an actor. This was
Shapiro. I cannot even mention his given name, but I
remember him well, even though I (Moshe) left Schorr's
troupe, I never more saw or heard of him [again].
The Shapiro was a Russian,
the the young musician. When arrived in town, I knew one
god. However Moshe Schorr had found him there hungry,
and he had taken him into our troupe, although he should
not be starving for individuals, but with us all
together... Shapiro was a good actor, and he had already
sung, and he was a good and necessary force for our
troupe.
(Meanwhile he drew to the
troupe a gbir, and it became a management of four
people: the old Schorr, Moshe Schorr; the rich man, a
certain Liberman, and the prompter Yankl Gliksman.
Shapiro battled his fear, that there was nothing left
for the other actors.] ...Shapiro has kept me so long,
until he had agreed that without us the troupe cannot
perform, we may express demands that in fact we felt
guilty, knowing we could not go further until we |
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gave them a certain sum of
money, that we should spend our earnings" (and the
valiant co-director was asked how much they were
demanding.)
In 1908, when the "literary
troupe" with Ester Rokhl Kaminska guest-starred in
Petersburg, S. was with her, participating in a series
of Gordin offerings, playing the roles of "Shalmon" in
"Mirele Efros," "R' Zisl" in "The Slaughter," "Raphael"
in "Yankl the Blacksmith," "Shmuel Askhenazi" in "The
Unknown," "Mark" in "Chasia the Orphan," and "Chayutin"
in "The True Power."
In the necrology in "Yiddish
Theatre," it was said that "he strove his entire life
for a better Yiddish theatre and had participated in the
best Yiddish troupes."
S. passed away in Warsaw in
1916 after a severe illness.
According to Zalmen
Zylbercweig S. was, not a deformed shtikl, a
little nasal, a very talented and serious actor. The
type that he had brought out onto the stage had
demonstrated that he thought well about the gestures
that he interpreted. He manifested intelligence in his
acting, tact and understanding.
M.E. from
Chinke Braginska and Sh.E. from Zalmen Zylbercweig.
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[--] -- "Yiddish
Theatre," Warsaw, N' 1, 1921.
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N. Auslander --
"Yiddish Theatre (1887-1917)," Moscow, 1940, pp.
310-311.
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Benzion Palepade
-- "Memoirs," Buenos Aires, 1946, pp. 182-185.
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