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
 

Neytan Levin
 

 

L. was born on 13 December 1840 in Yekaterinoslav, Ukraine. His father was a cantor. Until age eighteen he learned in cheders, and at the age of twenty-two founded the first Yiddish quartet in Odessa [Levin (tenor)], Katshanov (baritone), Tsendler (baritone), and Fishman (bass), who used to perform in wine cellars and in cafe cabarets.

In 1880 the quartet was engaged for Spivakovski to perform in Minsk in the governor's garden as an divertissement for the Russian productions. In 1881 the quartet left and L. went to Libova, where he entered into the local Yiddish troupe (Director -- Leon Berger).

In 1884 he immigrated to American and soon [umorgns] after his arrival, he debuted as "Tsingetang" in "Shulamit" in Brooklyn's Singer Hall. In 1885 L. became manager of Shwager Hall in Newark, and he engaged as a troupe the actors Sabina and Charles Weinblatt, Tornberg, Charles Nathanson, Sam Levenvirt et al. In 1886 L. became engaged to Baltimore in the Germanic Hall, where he acted for four seasons with various troupes.

In 1900 L. took over the Front Street Theatre in Baltimore, but soon, at the opening, a false fire alarm broke out and during the tumult, twenty-six people perished.

After that catastrophe L. retired from theatre activity.

Since 1 March 1929 L. found himself in moshav for the elderly in Baltimore, where in 1932 he passed away.

L. was an uncle of the actresses Mina and Berta Gurevitsh and of the violin artist Kochanski.
 

Sh. E. from Sara Kindman.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 2, page 1148.
 

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