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
 

Fannie Schwartz
[Glazer, Grinberg]
 

 

Born in Tarnow, Galicia. Father -- a merchant. Hearing the Yiddish troupe of Gradner and Professor Horowitz, Meir Wolf Schwartz et al, she had, as a fourteen-year old girl, possessed a beautiful voice. After singing the songs she heard, the actors were very pleased, especially because she furthermore was very lovely. She was in that environment, and especially became close to the actor Schwartz, who she married a little later, and in 1880 went away to Czrnowitz to Spivakovski in his troupe, where she debuted in "Di kaprizne kallah" by Goldfaden. from there she toured around across the United States; in 1881 in Berdichev, already with her own troupe, in which Sam Adler and the older Shekman acted. In 1882 -- in Pinsk, then in Bobruisk, where Tabatshnikoff came the troupe, and then they toured across Russia until 1883 when they arrived in Poland (Lublin).

In 1884 it became forbidden in Poland to perform Yiddish theatre. S. traveled to Galicia to her younger sister, and acted there for a short time with Kalmen Juvelier, then across Romania and back to Galicia. Here Avraham Goldfaden invited her to come to act in Paris, where she acted for two years with Max Rosenthal, Anna Held et al. From there again to Romania and then to America.

Here she became a charter member of the newly founded Actors Union, acting for a certain amount of time in Cleveland with Mr. and Mrs. Sam Kestin, Mr. and Mrs. Morgenbeser, Jacob P. Adler and Zygmunt Weintraub, and after that her husband passed away.

She settled in Rochester (New York), where he acted for two years. There she married Mr. John Greenberg, with the agreement that they should abandon the stage. They settled in San Francisco, where she opened a restaurant, where the Yiddish actors, who there used to come to act, used to come in. Here also there was a effort of the performing kibetsarnye. S. until the last day of her life was interested in Yiddish theatre life.

In the archives of the "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre", one finds several "clippings" of English newspapers (initially, names or dates), which said when talking about "Shulamis": "The smart acting of Mrs. Schwartz really was the majority of the entire production". About a Joseph Lateiner play "King Saul: "A word has to be said about the physical beauty of Mrs. Schwartz, who is the beautiful woman, who had until now been seen on the Yiddish stage. Her voice is pleasant, although she had a natural aroptsoygn of tone at the very high tenor. More musical, but her Yiddish expressions", and about a play "Dos shop meydl" for which Jacob Gordin is given as the author, it is said in the review: "Madame Schwartz is exceptionally polished, and her work therefore is the work of the gifted [famous Russian actress] Nazimova".

S. passed away on 6 January 1932 in San Francisco.
 

Sh. E.


 

 

 

 


 

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Adapted from the original Yiddish text found within the  "Lexicon of the Yiddish Theatre" by Zalmen Zylbercweig, Volume 6, page 4950.
 

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