| ERC > LEXICON OF THE YIDDISH THEATRE > VOLUME 5 > LEIB DRUCKER |
Lexicon of the Yiddish
Theatre
BIOGRAPHIES OF THOSE WHO WERE ONCE INVOLVED IN
THE Yiddish THEATRE;
aS FEATURED
IN zALMEN zYLBERCWEIG'S "lEKSIKON FUN YIDISHN TEATER"
VOLUME 5: THE KDOYSHIM (MARTYRS) EDITION, 1967, Mexico City
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Leib Drucker
During the First World War he studied in Czechoslovakia (Prague, Arnoy? and Troytenin?), but he did not finish his studies due to a lack of funds. Before the end of the war he returned home, joined the Socialist Party and started to travel around Romania, working at all kinds of hard jobs. On his own he learned to read, write and speak the Yiddish language. He started in a small Yiddish theatre in a hall in Iasi, on the Red Bridge (street in Jewish Quarter, ed.). He was arrested one year because of his political views. After he was set free he started to write in the "Czernowitzer bleter," "Oyfgang" (Marmaros-Sziget), and other periodicals in different places within greater Romania. Julian Schwarz informs us that in 1926 in the "Kultura" Hall in Iasi, he and his friend performed the two main characters in the play "Brothers." On 4 July 1928 he was in Iasi in the "Pomul Verde" (Romanian for "The Green Tree"), which was represented by Adolf Tefner Drucker's dramatic play "The Last Generation," a play in three acts. Drucker became a leader of the dramatic performances section, and on 6 October 1929 in Iasi in the "Kultura" Hall there was performed by the independent dramatic circle "Yung yidish" ("Yiddish Youth") his "About People and Obsession," a dramatic play with eight "images," a work from Ivangoe's biography. Here he was involved as a prompter in the Yiddish theatre, and he wrote the operetta "The Landlord's Daughter" (with music by Sh. Prizament), which was performed on 3 April 1930 in the Czernowitz State Theatre. It had a great success in Romania, and later was performed in Warsaw as "The Hungarian Bar [Saloon]." Later the operetta was performed as "Sarale" (music by I. Zon-Poliakov). On 26 August 1932 there was staged by Sh. Prizament and Gizi Heiden in Czernowitz Drucker's three-act operetta "Leike's Luck" (Music by Sh. Prizament), which later would be presented as "A Song of Love." On 3 August 1934 with Dina König, Adolf Tefner and Zalmen Kroyn?, Drucker's "The Tailor's Only Daughter," a musical comedy in two acts (Music by Oigen Yoshe Singer), was performed. D. also wrote the songs for the musical comedy "Reizel Makes a Career," which was called "Poor Like Church Mouse." In 1934, in an issue of the "Czernowitzer bleter" there appeared: Leib Drucker. Twenty-seven songs (page 48) in the "Lexicon of the New Yiddish Literature," in which it is said about the songs: "His songs, mostly of the English lyric, sometime show a rebellious note." D. also wrote articles in "reviews" for Yiddish theatre in the Yiddish press in Romania and also in the Romanian language, in the journal "Aventul." D. also wrote a book "Fun soflor kastn." Julian Schwarz writes about it: "The author used the poetic style from 'Jungle Theatre,' if it allowed him to characterize the once-wandering Yiddish province theatre. Often he touches on such hearty theatre items as 'starrism,' willing 'impressions' or 'directorn,' the situation of the Yiddish actors, theatre-repertoire, the theater saloons, work and play facilities, and other related things. The aim may have been a good one, but the author Leib Drucker has used his will to serve the truths and showed him a way to a better literary theatre. This is why he starts with the simple, rude and ignorant person, the ignorance of the actors and audience, but with a sense of subjectivity. Even quarrels and bitterness are involved." |
