there also was Latayner, and as he wrote in his autobiography, through his initiative Goldfaden began to write for the stage: "In a conversation with Goldfaden, I asked him sometimes why he left the pranksters (the folksinger Gradner, Shakhar Goldstein and Finkel), speaking of fire and water? When they sing your songs, why shouldn't they also have your prose? And an idea occurred to him, and after a short time, from his song "Di bobe mit dem eynikl (The Grandmother With the Grandson)" he wrote a theatre play (Goldfaden himself did not write about this in his memoirs.) And further Latayner wrote:

"For me "Di bobe mit dem eynikl (The Grandmother With the Grandson)" was the first theatre play that I has seen in my life, because in the Romanian theatre I didn't dare to show myself with my long payes and long capes. And yet to us the theatre technique was not foreign, because I had read many German and also French works. And it didn't let me rest, that I should also put my skills to the test. An accident came to my aid. In the city then a dispute occurred there about taxes and other communal matters. Two parties were the leaders of this war: The pious Jews with the German Jews. They called the two parties "Knopl un pantofl." Both families were wealthy and influential, and they were enemies in this life. Their poor children were mortally in love with each other, a happening just like in "Romeo and Juliet." Fortunately the novel did not end as sadly as it did in Shakespeare's [story]. And from this incidence, with the assistance of a German sketch with the name of "Nathan Shlumiel," I worked out a comedy in four acts entitled, "Knopl un pantofl, or, The 2 Shmuel-Shmelkes" (Yosef Latayner's autobiography)."

Yitzhak Libresko in his memoires told about this:

"Among the maskilim who used to join us were two people: Joseph Kesuvin [sp] and Yitzhak Goldental, who then were still students, and they brought with them their good friend Latayner ... that he was able to write and read German. Every time he used to bring German works with him and they read [them]. He once brought a small German book, "Nathan Shlumiel," and when he read it we laughed. We had to laugh at every line, there was so much humor and comedy. We liked it so much that we asked Latayner if he could read for us here [again] sometime. My wife, who considered herself to be a complete theatre actress, then called out to Latayner: "Latayner, it would be easy to make a Yiddish play out of it." Latayner liked the plan and actually sat down at my house and created "Di tsvey shmuel shmelkes (The Two Shmuel-Shmelkes)." It was published, and the troupe began to perform it, and it had a good success. When through the play he became attached to the actorsh and being the Yude Sefer that he was, he became a prompter for the troupe and also their author."

Latayner's first comedy was staged later in 1876 in Iasi. Latayner wrote: "The two stars, Finkel and Gradner, had surprised me with an honorarium of twelve francs, but not any silver francs, but twelve tickets -- a franc per piece. This was a couple of hours before the beginning (of the production), I didn't know what to do with the tickets, but the cashier took pity on me and bought them from me for eight francs on speculation. This was my first honorarium for my first play."

The same success of the play also was exploited by Goldfaden for his comedy "Di tsvey kuni lemels (The Two Kuni Lemels)." Latayner accused Goldfaden, saying that he [Goldfaden] had slightly adapted his play. They censored Goldfaden's name, and with this they had the possibility of staging it in Russia in his variant. When Russia soon became the most important point for Yiddish theatre, the actors performed in Goldfaden's text, and Latayner's text was soon forgotten.

In that time Latayner was the prompter in the Iasi troupe. He also translated a play from Romanian, "Lumpatius Vagabondus," which Gradner used to stage frequently, introducing himself as the author of the play.

Due to the outbreak of the Russian-Turkey War in 1877, the economic condition in Romania for a certain part of the population improved significantly. Two troupes were soon founded, and in one troupe Mogulesko performed Latayner's second play, "Yente Pipernoter (Yente the Monster)," a comedy in which Mogulesko played the title role, thereby gaining a large following of a theatre audience.

Latayner's third play was the comedy, "Der dibek (The Dybbuk)," which later played yearlong.

The fourth play by Latayner was an operetta, "Di libe fun yerushalayim (The Love of Jerusalem)," the subject taken from Werbel's "Edim neʼemanim o Ḥuldah u-vor," with music by Gavriel Finkelstein. The same subject also was adapted by Abraham Goldfaden for his operetta, "Shulamis, oder, Di tokhter fun tsion (Shulamis, or, The Daughter of Zion)."

In order to get rid of a competitor, Goldfaden took Latayner into his troupe: "Like the main character -- Libresko wrote -- the author then played with the troupe, and it was clear that if the author would be taken into the troupe, it would not last long, and Goldfaden indeed had turned to me, [and suggested] that I should see Latayner be taken over to us. I went to Latayner and I insisted that he would become a prompter with us more easily in Baku if he was treated well. Latayner thought that it was a really good match because Goldfaden would probably stage his plays too, [that] he would follow me. He took out all his plays and put them on the box on which they usually lay, and he [shone] a light on [them]. No one from the troupe was impressed with what he had taken out, but in truth, the light meant that he had died for the troupe, and therefore he placed a candle as if for a dead person. Together with us, Latayner then travelled with us to Zhurzhava by the Bulgarian frontier, and it was indeed as Goldfaden was right: The troupe disbanded and then they wandered about. Initially then I returned to Latayner. Latayner, however, soon became dissatisfied. He thought that Goldfaden would stage his plays, but Goldfaden did not want to stage any of Latayner's plays, and Latayner went around with a long nose. When I got out of Goldfaden's troupe just in time, he also got out and rejoined his troupe, which soon regrouped."

Already by now Latayner still had a great interest in coming to Odessa and competing there with Goldfaden, and so indeed in 1880 he arrived with a troupe (Mogulesko was the director, with Aba and Chaya-Sarah Shoengold, Moshe and Esther Zilberman, Wolf Edelman, Moshe Teich, Rosa Axelrod, Paulina Edelstein and Sabina Lakser) played in the Marinskiiy Theatre, where there was staged Latayner's plays. Later the troupe's direction went over to Lerner.

In Odessa Latayner wrote a comedy, "Der mames tekhterl (The Mother's Daughters)," but soon after they began to perform it in 1881, due to the death of Alexander II it became forbidden to play Yiddish theatre. The decree and later the pogrom on Jews significantly weakened the frequency of the [theatre] visitor, and the troupe with material hardships wandered around from towns and cities until individual members of the troupe, among them Latayner, wandered off to London in 1883. But not earning any income from Yiddish theatre, Latayner travelled with a group of actors (Moshe and Esther Zilberman, Morris and Sonia Heine-Chaimowitz, Borodkin and his wife, Wachtel, Fridman and Kurazh) in 1884 to America, where they began to perform on May 23, 1884 in Turn Hall in New York (113 Bowery). From Sukkot 1884 on the troupe was sent over to the former Folks Garden Hall, which was changed to the "Oriental Theatre" (due to the neighborhood Oriental Bank).

B. Gorin tells about the condition then of the Yiddish theatre: "The new company already came here complete, totally put together from the old country, and they even came with a prompter. Latayner prompted then, and later he became the author for the company. They also put on old plays from the old country, and even the public could tell that they were from the old country. The German Jews, who already were residents here, had not yet smelled Yiddish theatre. Other Jews, who came before the pogroms, were certainly americanized then, and they were not going to the Yiddish theatre. The theatre attendees were green, just like the actors, and they couldn't point to anything (from the American-Yiddish life) that might have something American in it" -- but -- "The first plays after all weren't much, and every theatre-goer already knew them [the plays] no worse than the actors. There was a demand for new plays."

Here Latayner wrote his play, "Ester un haman (Esther and Haman)," and soon "Yosef mit zayn brider (Joseph and his Brother)," music by Max Abramovich, -- both staged in 1884.

The play, "Joseph and his Brother," was later brought to Europe and there was performed with music by Peretz Sandler. It was done without the knowledge of the author, and with a non-exact text was published in Przemyśl, Galicia (as Joseph in Egypt, a historical operetta in five acts and eight scenes by Yosef Latayner, music by Sandler, published by Amkroyt and Friend, Przemyśl bookstore, 1913).

"Unwillingly one has to smile -- B. Gorin writes -- when one hears the title of the two new plays. In that time the old Yiddish stage was in all fifty-six years old. In the short fifty-six years, the Yiddish stage has gone through as much as it took other stages to go through in hundreds of years. A couple of hundred years back they put on Yiddish theatre plays that bore almost the same names (The Sale of Joseph and Purim-Shpiel), and after what the Yiddish stage has been through in the fifty-six years after the Russian-Turkish War, such a galloping career, (in Russia, where Goldfaden had already staged his plays "Shulamis" and "Bar kokhba," Lerner with his translation of "Uriel Akosta," Shomer -- his plays and Lililenblum -- his plays), there was created here the two "new" plays, "Ester un haman (Esther and Haman)," and "Yosef mit zayne brider (Joseph and His Brother)." In other words, it means that they began here, but not with the first play, but with far-di -- first. Moreover, these plays were Jewish, not made up of Gentiles with Jewish names, and they were very popular with the public. Even Germanic Jews were interested in these pieces, and there used to stand theatre carts, just like around Broadway theatres. Not earlier and not later such a phenomenon was seen around Yiddish theatres, when they should not count the carts that a couple of directors had created. Around that time Yosef Latayner created his first work that had a relationship with this country, where the Jewish immigrants and the Yiddish stage had looked for a home. The play was called "Di emigratsye nokh amerike (Emigration to America)" -- with this piece the first attempt was made to stand on its own feet, and from then on the Yiddish stage in America went its own way."

Around 1884-5 Latayner's plays "Di geheymise fun nyu york (The Secrets of New York)," "Dovid ben Yisai (David, Son of Jesse)" and "Di emigratsion nokh amerike (Emigration to America)" were staged.

In 1886 Mogulesko brought over a new troupe from Europe (David Kessler, Leon Blank, Bina and Max Abramovich, Sigmund Mogulesko, Sigmund Feinman, Morris Finkel, Israel and Sabina Weinblatt, L. Schwartz, Simowitz, Aneta Finkel, Paulina Edelstein, Gavriel Finkelstein and Miss Finkelstein).

About the change that came to the Yiddish theatre, B. Gorin wrote:

"With the arrival of the second troupe with a second drama writer ('Professor' Hurwitz, who came a little later), a competition began [by] composers who wanted to stay on the stage, [who] had to be able to "shave plays off their sleeves." The writers in this new country had to follow the American principle: 'Hurry up," and because people didn't understand how to do it they got off the bench. By that time the work of the Yiddish playwright had already become easier, and he no longer needed to write the play himself and by himself create the music and write the songs. There had already been separate people who took care of the separate parts of the operetta, and Latayner got lost in the first few years when a second theatre opened. He did not know how to create by himself, and he even borrowed a foreign subject, and this gave him more or less a Jewish face. For him it was difficult work that demanded a lot of time. Latayner did not have this talent to portray characters, and he was not blessed with the eye that could look inside peoples' hearts. He also lacked the imagination that sensational plays required. He was no more than a craftsman for the stage, and he understood how to craft a play, which were the necessary elements and how to include them, and how to make the actors happy who are performing in the play. When he had a foreign play he could cloose the needed elements and assemble them for a visitor to the theatre. Superficially, it can be seen that he, as well as the other authors of this class, did not differ from Goldfaden because the latter also took finished plays and remade them for the Jewish public. But taking a somewhat deeper look is enough to see the big difference. Goldfaden was blessed with talent and the stamp of his talent was inserted into his plays that passed through his hands. And a gret difference is that which can be seen from when Latayner had written 'Shmuel shmelkes" and Goldfaden wrote "Both Kuni Lemels," Latayner had written "The Love of Jerusalem" and Goldfaden wrote "Shulamis," and although both plays were written for Goldfaden and had been remained in his hands in America for a long time in the theatre and Goldfaden didn't set foot here, there is still played to this day Goldfaden's "Kuni Lemel" and Goldfaden's "Shulmais," as well as  Latayner's "Shmuel Shmelkes" and "The Love of Jerusalem" ... They were dead as soon as they played the first time. Besides this, with Goldfaden the talent developed, and his latter plays came out better, finer, nobler, while Latayner remained standing in one place, and his later plays showed no improvement. Conversely, in the first years, both in Romania as well as in America, his plays had at least simplicity, and what follows even that simplicity disappeared. When Latayner realized that the work of adapting plays was not so modern and was also very difficult, and that the theatre couldn''t wait, he simply took foreign plays, cut the life out of them in order to make room for poetry and hops, and for a comical element changed the Gentile names to Jewish ones and presented them to the Jewish public. And further: "The competition between the two theatres became so sharp that a theatre was not satisfied with the forces it possessed, and each sought to extract the plays from the other. Just as the plays could not be extracted because each theatre had its [own] author, they sought to extract the contents of a play. We see that in the same time that the Roumanian Opera House put on an opera (?), "Shlomo Hamelekh (King Solomon)" by M. Hurwitz in 1887 in the Oriental Theatre, they put on the oper(etta), "Mishpat shlomo (The Judgment of Solomon)," by Yosef Latayner. Understand that this is not a blind accident, but a certain tactic by which the Yiddish theatres were maintained for a long time."

In September 1888  in Poole's Theatre there was staged Latayner's "Di emigrantn oys rusland (The Emigrants From Russia)" on September 19, 1888 -- in the Oriental Theatre his "Der antisemit, oder, Di yidn-lage in Romania (The Anti-Semite, or, The Condition of Jews in Romania)," and on 22 October 1888 at the Oriental Theatre there was staged Latayner's "Yehuda hamakabi, oder, Kenig antiokhus in yerushalayim (Judah the Maccabi, or King Antiochus in Jerusalem)," an operetta in five acts, music by Kurantman."

According to B. Gorin, in 1888 there was also staged Latayner's play, "Izraels kinder, oder, Untern shuts fun mozes montefiore (Israel's Children, or, Under the Protection of Moses Montefiore)."

A theatre attendee in America portrayed his impression of Latayner's plays in the Odessa collection book, "Der folks-fraynd (The People's Friend)," which was published in 1895 under the supervision of N. Rozenblum: "When he (Latayner) took to his historical works, it becomes a change for him, a perversion that God may have mercy on him! People who have no relation to the other become lovable ghosts to him; heroes who lived before or after a few hundred years of the period in which his story takes place, stand up for him at the resurrection and play the main roles in his honor; or complete strangers become his in-laws, mothers with children, grandfathers with grandchildren ... Here, for example, in his historical drama, "Judah the Maccabee," he veils the wife of the seven children who who were killed on the Holy of Holies at the destruction of Bit-Shani, for Judah's mother, and for Matisyahu he was blessed with two more sons, and Judah, with two brothers (Matisyahu had only five sons.) It would be fair that Mr. Latayner should at least get to know the audience of the period for which he is writing his play. That's why when Mr. Latayner writes a play that takes life, it's not bad."

Latayner was also very active in the years 1889 and 1890. Thus in January 1889 there was staged in Poole's Theatre his play, "Di grinhorns (The Greenhorns)" ("Moshke -- Morris Finkel, "Mishke" -- Paulina Edelstein), which remained yearlong in the repertoire of the Yiddish theatre in America, and also later it was staged very often in Europe under the name, "Mishke un Moshke (Mishke and Moshke)," also under the name "Di eyropeer in amerike (The European in America," and without the knowledge of the author was published in Europe in an incomplete form (Yosef Latayner. Mishke un Moshke, oder, eyropeer in amerike, a comedy in five acts, Warsaw -- Tre'a (1911), mainly sold in the "Kultur" publishing house, Warsaw.

                                          The manuscript of Latayner's autobiography -- in our possession.

On 22 May 1889 in Poole's Theatre there was staged Latayner's play, "Dos 5-te gebot, oder, Kevod ab," (The Fifth Commandment, or, Honor They Father)," which later was performed on the Yiddish stage in Europe.

On 8 October 1889 in the Thalia Theatre there was staged "Khave, oder, Di shlang als hoyz-fraynd (Eve, or, The Serpent as a House Friend)."

On 1 January 1890 in the Thalia Theatre there was staged Latayner's "Khurbn yerushalayim (The Destruction of Jerusalem)," a historical operetta, music by Minkowsky. The play later was performed on the Yiddish state in Europe with music by Leo Leow (sp) and Itzhak Shliosberg, and ramined for a long time in repertoire and was published without the knowledge of the author (The Destruction of Jerusalem, a historical opertta in five acts by Yosef Latayner, Yiddish Theatre Library No. 13, Warsaw, Trs"kh).

On 20 June 1890 in the Roumanian Opera House, there was staged Latayner's "Shlomo erlikh, oder, La tgnub (Shlomo Erlich, or, Do Not Steal)," and on 29 September 1890 -- "Yehudis un olofernes (Judith and Holofernes)," music by Max Abramovich, which later often was staged on the Yiddish stage in Europe, especially in Galicia and on 14 November 1890 -- "Der shtrik oyf dem halz, oder, Di blinde gerekhtikayt (The Rope on the Neck, or, Blind Justice)," music by Max Abramovich.

According to B. Gorin, in 1890 there was staged Latayner's plays, "Daniel in leybengrub (Daniel in the Lion's Den)," which then was often staged on the Yiddish stage in Europe, and "Di shnayderin (The Seamstress)."

In 1891 there was staged Latayner's play, "Goles rusland (Exile Russia)." Morris Rosenfeld protested in several articles in "Der folks advokat" about Latayner for including his song, "A funk yidishkeyt" in the play under the name, "Dos pintele yid," and then in an adapted, flattened form.

About the play itself, and his production, Bessie Thomashefsky recalls in a funny tone: "The story of "Exile Russia" is very important:  In Russia a Jew lives and he has a son Osip. In Yiddish he is called "Yosef," but for the Gentile -- Osip. Here Joseph is a pro-prophecy nihilist, and as a nihilist Joseph loves -- a Jew? Well, never (no, God forbid), her name is precisely a gentile Mikhailova. Is it clear what he wants, Joseph the nihilist? He wants a job (a bit of work), because he wants to send the emperor to another world. Even his noble side. But what then, the tovariches (friends) -- what the nihilists call themselves -- need to play this too in one act. They also have to play this in one act; they are somehow the big boys (head-knockers), they choose a third, that is, the third act, to say [something] like this: Say, Biele (sir, boy), do you want to strangle Nikolaike? Right, you can (good, fine), but are you really a spy? Hey, wait, we (will) introduce ourselves. There is a supposed "district court," and poor Joseph is condemned to the gallows, but Joseph does not give up his comrades, he is faithful to his efforts, and when the rope is already around him and the esteemed public already has a certain amount of "sympathy" for the hero, you can see that Joseph is one of the ones, a true nihilist, They allow him to do the job and kill NIkolaike on the spot, that is, Alexander. But it's not an easy job, and Joseph gets into trouble (tsores). He has to fight with some pristav, and the ending in the fourth act is the "Goles rusland (Russian exile)." But what it ends up with -- I don't know. Karp plays this suffering father, Sophia Karp, in contrast to Madame Lipzin, has played the Gentile Mikhailova, Thomashefsky is the immortal Joseph, Finkel is Joseph's uncle (Joseph had an uncle), Bina Abramowitz ais Joseph's aunt (Joseph had an aunt), and Aba Shoengold is the certain pristav. As Joseph was rich in family, I did not have any role in the play. That's why I liked the play very much, as the incomes were big, and our "marks" went up to thirty cents or more. ... The play "Exile Russia" ran for a long time. We had already earned [money] without playing so deep into the season. The name Thomashefsky became more and more popular in New York. Yosef Latayner was very productive, a quick playwright, and that they had a need for a new play. It was enough that they needed a new play, a whistle from the manager was enough -- and Latayner soon created a play. This new masterwork Latayner had written especially for my husband and for me, two beatuiful roles for us both. The play was called, "Ezra, or, The Eternal Jew)" (1891). ... Because of the hero "Ezra," there was a strike in our theatre. The actors could not bear that Thomashefsky should get one big role after another. "All Josephs," that is, will Thomashefsky play all the heroes? No -- strike!"

In order to avoid a strike, Thomashefsky -- according to Bessie Thomashefsky's account -- took to playing the intriguer Shwininski, and during the scene "where for Shwininski the Jews must be condemned before the king, and he must be excommunicated like Haman, Thomashefsky took over the "prose" and gave a fiery monologue, praising the "Jewish army," and the public stormed the theatre. They applauded him non-stop. He "covered" all the actors in the scene, even though he played the intriguer, who doesn't do what an actor does because of applause?"

The play also was very often performed on the Yidish stage in Europe, and also there without the knowledge of the author, published in print ("Ezra, der eviger yude [Ezra, the Eternal Jew]"), an operetta in four acts and ten scenes by Yosef Latayner, music by Max Abramovich, Przemyśl. Trs"kh, property of the publishing house of Amkroyt and Friend, Przemyśl bookstore.)

Thomashefsky already liked Latayner's plays very much, and he staged in 1891 Latayner's "Ashet khil, oder, Di eyngeshparte printsesin fun yehuda (Woman of Valor, or, The Imprisoned Princess of Judah)." About the play, and the production, Bessie Thomashesky describes it in her memoir: "This was a wonderful history, the "woman of valor." It is worth a matinee ticket (a ticket to a mid-day production), to recount this. A king had a beautiful daughter, and because the king is a king the daughter is a princess and is always imprisoned. The king wants that the priness should "marry" a prince, and she, the princess, doesn't want to. Here she will go to get married when she's an "incarcerated princess." Indeed, to what trouble does she need a frozen prince? Will she not "marry" and "run away into the mountains," it is called between the mountains. There, in the mountains, the needed "Joseph" is already there, who is already a very rich poor man, and our princess falls in love with him on the train ... Joseph takes a couple of dromedaries (camels), climbs with his princess onto the hump-back camels, and they ride away from the mountains. Finally, they came home to Joseph with his old mother, in an old barn, and it turns out -- what turns out? Here's what: Joseph's old mother is quite a queen, and Joseph himself is quite a prince. But that's what they did especially, ... pretending to be poor in order to win the love of the brave woman, or the imprisoned princess."

The play later also was very often performed on the Yiddish stage in Europe.

By that time Thomashefsky had staged Jacob Gordin's "The Pogrom in Russia," but due to material conditions he returned to stage Latayner's plays. Bessie Thomashefsky recalls about this: We turned back from Gordin to Latayner ... We staged in 1892 a play with the name "Dinale, oder, A gast fun yener velt (Dina, or, A Guest From Another World)," by Yosef Latayner. At the box office it soon became a blessing. I dont' know if "Dina, or, A Guest From Another World" brought the public to the theatre. I only know that they came -- and our marks had grown. The subjet of "Dinale" was very confusing, but the "hero" was a "hero," and the "heroine" also was this one, and someone like "Joseph" was also in the family. My daughter, Esther, also had acted in this play. I myself was even eager to speak the prose of "Dinale," after I had already tried such prose as in Gordin's "Pogrom," and especially my beloved role "Marishka," who I played in "Pogrom," but an actor is like a traveler, you have to eat in different restaurants. We had already spent quite a bit of the season ... in the Roumanian Opera House, business was not going badly and were playing theatre."

The play under the name "A gast fun yener velt (A Guest From Another World)" was often played on the Yiddish stage in Europe.

B. Gorin writes about this period: "Meanwhile Gordin was no more than a guest in the theatre, and all that he had managed to prove so far was that people should not look at him as a "child," and that people should take him seriously. The grandeur in the theatre was led by the previous authors, and the box office was full of gold from Latayner's and Hurwitz's plays. Latayner had, within that time, written "Kurkh's oytsres (Kurkh's Treasures)," "Elkhasnador," "Bas Sheva," and "Blihmele," and each one of them were a treasure for the theatre. People looked forward to the joyous events on the Yiddish stage. In no way could it be said that a new era had begun. Neither in the playable pieces nor in the "strong" acting could it be noticed. It seemed from above that everything was as it was, and no change had taken place. But all this was only superficial and a silent revolution was going on underneath the whole time."

In this time, Jacob P. Adler brought new actors from Europe into his Union Theatre. The competition also meant that Thomashefsky decided to move over to a beautiful theatre: he stepped into the Thalia Thatre and -- according to Bessie Thomashefsky -- "Soon they will be ordering a "bomb" from Latayner, that is, the kind of play with which we can conquer all fortresses, especially the terrible fortress that is called "box office," because from the box office come the "toolers [?]." Shortly thereafter (as they played repertoire) in 1892, we staged the "bomb," which overwhelmed the box office by storm, and my husband became famous. This was the play, "Aleksander, oder, Kroynprintz fun yerushalayim (Alexander, or, The Crown Prince of Jerusalem)" by Yosef Latayner. This play until today (1916) has remained in the repertoire of the Yiddish theatre, and the public continually comes to see it.

"The content is "almost" fantastic. In the "neighborhoods" of Jerusalem, somewhere in those regions there lives a Jew, Menakhem, who raised a ward, a girl with the name of Naomi. One day a shooter, a hunter, passes through that area, who shoots the girl Naomi, not with a bullet from his gun, but with his love. Alexander called this shot, and Alexander was already in love with Naomi. Menakhem the Jew has a maid who was called Zilpah (I, myself, indeed), and a servant who was called Naftali. This pair is the comic department. One of the arkhamats of the arkhimatskes comes running and calls out to the bird-shooter, who is called the hunter, to do his duty, to reign in Jerusalem. People find out that the shooter is none other than the Crownprince of Jerusalem, and that he is called Alexander, not Joseph. He swears eternal love to Naomi, and she also to him, and already in around six months they all go away to Jerusalem, according to the agreement between the prince and Naomi, but the prince has a suspicion that Naomi has been unfaithful to him and "he throws her away" (pushes her away). She gets hysterical, weakness befalls her, and when she weakens, she becomes mute, and there is a lot of pity for her. Here the good maid Zilpah runs away directly to the prince and says to him that what he believes is a lie, that Naomi indeed is truly in love with him -- and he wants to forgive his Naomi, but she is already mute and has fallen. Alexander becomes very angry and returns nothing more (i.e. he is no longer interested). He gives up to his mother, the queen, his "crown and sceptre," and delivers a fiery monologue. ... The audience cries and the curtain falls. A war breaks out somewhere and the prince gets on his white horse, full of ammunition, that is, ready to go into battle, and the audience erupts -- like a horse. Only later, it turns out that Naomi is a real princess and she also becomes talkative, and Alexander is then the happiest prince. ... The greatest success in the play was had by my husband. The role of "Alexander" created many followers for him. He shined as the prince. Much more beautiful as a prince, just the beauty itself!  Indeed, one can not be surprised by his beauty in the role."

In the same season (1892) there was staged by Thomashefsky Latayner's "Kurkh's oytsres, oder, Mamen der geld-got," "an effort -- according to Bessie Thomashefsky -- Jewish Faust, to contrast, still with a moral that money leads one down the right path, and so on."

The play later was performed very often on the Yiddish stage of Europe, where it was also publihsed in print without the knowledge of the author (Mamen der geld-got, oder, Kurakh's oytsres, a historical operetta in four acts by Yosef Latayner, music by Friedsell, publishing house of Aharon Foyst, Krakow bookstore, Podgórze, Trs'"d).

The 1892-3 season ended with Latayner's "Bas Sheva," which also later was played in Europe, partly under the original name, partly under the name, "Dos vinshfingerl," and there it was published without the knowledge of the author (Bas Sheva, oder, Dos vinshfingerl, a fantastic operetta in four acts by Yosef Latayner, publishing house of Amkroyt and Friend, Przemyśl, 1911),

In 1893 there was also performed Latayner's "Kenig un boyer (King and Farmer)" (music by Minkowsky).

According to Philip Krantz the play was overused by the German fantastic play, "Olaf," and Minkowsky's music is actually drawn together from "Cavalleria Rusticana," "Lakme," et al.

According to Bessie Thomashefsky, the play, due to the competition from the neighboring Windsor Thetre, was a great failure.

On 26 January 1894 Boris Thomashefsky performed in the Thalia Theatre in the adaptation by Latayner and his wife's "Di hugenotn, oder, Di blutike Hokhtsayt (The Huguenots, or, The Bloody Holiday)."

According to B. Gorin, in 1894 there was staged Latayner's "Ben Yakov, oder, Goles shpanien (Son of Jacob), or Spanish Exile)" and "Isha ra'ah  (Bad Woman)."

The play, "Isha ra'ah," also later was performed on the Yiddish stage in Europe, where it played for a long time. In his review of the production in Warsaw, Jacob Dineson pointed out that the play is a crippled adaptation and a "variation" of the tragedy, "Belizár, " by von Schenk.

The play was published without the knowledge of the author (Isha ra'ah [The Bad Woman]), an operetta in four acts by Yosef Latayner, Podgórze, Trs"d, publishing house of Benjamin Munk bookstore in Lemberg.

On 18 October 1894 in the Windsor Theatre, there was staged Latayner's play, "Blimele di perle fun varsha, oder, Graf un yude (Blimele, The Pearl of Warsaw, or, Count and Jew)."

The play remained in repertoire for a long time in America, as well as in Europe, where it also played under the name, "Aliles-Da-m (Blood Accusation)," and without the knowledge of the author, was published in Krakow (Blimele, oder, Di perle fon varsha [Aliles-Da-m], an operetta in five acts by Latayner, music by Abramowitz, Podgórze, Trs"g, publishing house of the Aharon Foyst bookstore in Krakow).

In 1895 there was -- according to B. Gorin -- staged Latayner's "Tsar ivan grozny (Czar Ivan Grozny)," "Di sheyne ester, oder, Der ben-melekh (The Beautiful Esther, or, The ...)" "Efrim umenasha, oder, Di libe fun tsion (Ephraim and Manasseh, or, The Love of Zion)" and "Di farblonjete neshome (The Lost Soul)."

The play, "The Lost Soul," was later brought to Europe, where it very often was played on the Yiddish stage under the name, "Sarah sheindel," and there it also was published without the knowledge of the author under the same names (Sarah sheindel, a lebensbild with songs and dance by Yosef Latayner. Published by Y. Lidsky, Warsaw, Trs"b). The characteristic thing about it is that at least the publisher had the play published without the knowledge of the author and not honoring him, he found it necessary to print on the title page of the play that "further printing" of the play, entirely as in parts, like the prose and also the songs, is strictly prohibited."

About the play, B. Gorin writes: "Basically, this is a piece from the later period, and most of it is not a drama at all. This play is a novel, but instead of chapters, it is partly in acts or scenes. The subject is so entangled, confused, twisted like in the big shund novels, with a tinge oif some mystery. Take "The Lost Soul," for example, here there is told a story about a rich Jew who comes to travel to America to his brother, the rabbi in Galicia. The rabbi has two children, a young boy and a girl. The young boy is in love with a contemporary girl, whom the rabbi doesn't want to hear of or see. Just like in the shund novels, one trouble after another sticks to the girl, and it reaches such a point that people in the entire city avoid her. In the end, however, it turns out that the girl is the daughter of the rich American brother who was supposed to have drowned in the sea, but through a miracle did not drown, and he didn't know that he had a living daughter, and she did not drown, [and] that she had a living father."

On 13 January 1896 in the Thalia Theatre there was staged Latayner's play, "Der komediant, oder, A shand flek in der mishpakha (The Comedian, or, A Stain of Shame in the Family)," music by Friedsell, and on 21 September 1898 in the Windsor Theatre -- "Ḳidesh hashem, oder, Der yidisher minister (Kidush Hashem, or The Jewish Minister)," an operetta, music by (Yakov Kopl) Sandler."

In 1896 there was also played Latayner's and his wife's "Fraye (Free)," which was translated from Schiller's "William Tell."

According to B. Gorin, there was staged in 1896 Latayner's play, "Der oytser (The Treasure)."

On 11 October 1897 in the Windsor Theatre there was staged Latayner's "Der shtern fun prog, oder, Der troym -- a nevue (The Star of Prague, or, The Dream -- A Prophecy)."

According to B. Gorin, in 1897 there was also staged Latayner's "Kisr girun, oder, Der shtamfater fun meir baal hanes (The Ancestor of Meir Baal HaNes)" and "Dovids fidele, oder, Di tsoyberkraft fun muzik (David's Violin, or, The Power of Music)."

According to Boris Thomashefsky the play is a free adaptation of the German play, "Der griner (The Greenhorn)" . It was in repertoire for a long time in the Yiddish theatre in America, and also in Europe, where it later was published without the knowledge of the author (David's Violin [Dovids geyge]), a lebensbild in four acts by Yosef Latayner, Podgórze, Trs'd, publishing house of the Aharon Foyst bookstore in Krakow.)

According to Boris Thomashefsky it is Belasco's English play, "The Music Master," which he had staged with David Warfield in the title role, [which was] taken from Latayner's "David's Violin."

On 1 January 1898 in the Windsor Theatre there was staged for Boris Thomashefsky's benefit Latayner's adaption of Alexandre Dumas' "Kin, oder, Libe und laydenshaft (Kean, or, Love and Passion)."

On 30 September 1898 in the Windsor Theatre there was staged Latayner's "Di yidishe velt (The Jewish World)," music by Friedsell.

According to B. Gorin, in the same year there was also staged Latayner's "Hillel, oder, Di milkhome mit'n yetser hore (Hillel, or, The Struggle with Yetzer Hara)."

In 1899 in the Windsor Theatre there was staged through Thomashefsky Latayner's "Yidele, oder, Der emes un der sheker (Yidele, or, The Truth and the Lie)." The play later was staged very often in Yiddish theatres in Europe under the name "Yidele der blinder (Yidele the Blind)," where it was published without the knowledge of the author (Yidele der blinder, oder, Emes usheker, a folkshtik in four acts by Yosef Latayner, music by Worell [Wohl], publishing house of the Amroyt and Friend bookstore, Przemyśl, 1908).

In 1899 there also was staged by Thomashefsky Latayner's "Fir hundert yor, oder, Der prints un der khokhem (Four Hundred Years, or, The Prince and the Wise Man)."

According to B. Gorin, in 1899 there also was staged Latayner's play, "Khokhemes shlomo, oder, Rebi menakhem un der ashmedai (Solomon's Wisdom, or, Rabbi Menachem and the Ashmedai)."

According to B. Gorin, in 1900 there was staged Latayner's "Yehudis di tsveyter (Judith the Second)."

In 1901 there was staged Latayner's one-acter, "Der man untern tish (The Man Under the Table)," which later was very often performed in Europe, and it also was published there without the knowledge of the author (Der man untern tish, a vaudeville in one act, composed by Y. Latayner. Warsaw, Trs'kh).

This is the same vaudevile that the Brodersinger used to "put on," under the name "Der krokever."

In November 1901 there also was staged Latayner's "Gavriel, oder, Di libe fun a yidisher froy (Gabriel, or, The Love of a Jewish Woman)." The play, which according to B. Gorin was an adaptation of the German play, "Vos eyne froy kan," was later played in America under the name, "Gavriel der maler," which developed a special popularity in Europe, where it was performed on the local Yiddish stage with the name of two comic types: "Khinke un pinke." On the Yiddish stage in Europe the play remained year-round and was a hit. It was crowned by the critics as the model of shund on the Yiddish stage, the synonym of "Khinke pinke" as a shund play is just like "Dos pintele yid" included in the Yiddish theatre critique and theatre literature. The play, without the knowledge of the author, was published in Poland (Khinke pinke, oder, Gavriel der maler, Yiddish Theatre Library, Warsaw, 1907).

In March 1902 at the People's Theatre there was staged Latayner's play, "Goldele," a folksshtik in four acts, twelve scenes.

The state of Yiddish theatre in America changed a lot in the meantime. Hurwitz and Latayner and also their followers were no longer the sole rulers on the stage: Both Gordin, as well as Kobrin or Libin and other writers, had already often appeared on the Yiddish stage with their plays. It is therefore understandable that "that's what happened" -- It is therefore understandable that some -- according to B. Gorin -- who have happened upon the new order on the stage, sought to save themselves with it, that they influenced a certain up-and-coming Russian Jew, Mr. Harry Fishel, that he should build a theatre for them in the very heart of the Jewish Quarter. Among them were: Morris Finkel, Sophia Karp, Yosef Latayner, the kappelmeister Friedsell (? Louis Gottlieb), and they also attracted the comic Berl Bernstein. The theatre that they built was on Grand Street, and therefore they named it the Grand Theatre.This was the first theatre that was built as a church for a Yiddish troupe and for a Jewish public. It opened with a large parade on February 5 in the year 1903. In the theatre the company sought to protect themselves against the new storm, which had already flooded the stage. Latayner came out with a historical operetta, "Tsion, odere, El nhrus babel (Zion, or, On the Rivers of Babylon)," which did not differ in any way from his previous plays. As it turns out, he did, with the members of his company, didn't want to believe that the audience had grown up from the purim-shpiels, and he was under the impredssions that it was the directors who stood against the stenciled pieces of the eighties. In one's own theatre a director himself will show that the taste of the public is the same. But it did not last for long, and the companhy saw that they could not go against the storm. The result of this ill-fated undertaking was that the company didn't last."

Latayner's play, "Tsion, oder, Al naharot Bavel  (Zion, or, On the Rivers of Babylon)," with music by Friedsell, also later was staged on the Yiddish stage in Europe, where it also, without the knowledge of the author, was published in Galicia (Al naharot Bavel, a biblical musical drama in four acts, all the epilogue by Y. Latayner, publishing house of Amkroyt and Friend, Przemyśl,1909).

On 10 April 1903 in the Grand Theatre, there was staged Latayner's "Der yid in rumenye (The Jew in Romania)," a tsaytbild in four acts, music by Friedsell, which did not last long on the stage. The play is -- acccording to Sh. Perlmutter -- a free adaptaton of Dr. Max Nordau's drama, "Doktor Kon," and is often played in Europe under the name, "Di meshumeds (The Apostates [?])."

On 25 December 1903 in the same theatre and under the direction of Elias Rothstein, there was staged Latayner's "Di seder nakht, oder, Der bilbul da'm (The Seder Night, or, The Blood Libel)," music by Friedsell.

The play later was staged very often on the Yiddish stage in Europe and was, without the knowledge of the author, published in print (The Seder Night, a lebensbild in four acts and twelve scenes by Yosef Latayner, music by Friedsell (Friedsell), publishing house of Amkroyt and Friend, Przemyśl 1908).

According to B. Gorin, in 1904 there was staged Latayner's comedy, "Der sotn in gan eydn, oder, Di shviger tsu gast (The Devil in Paradise, or, The Mother-in-Law to Guest)." The play also later was brought to Europe it was played in Europe on that Yiddish stag, and also here without the knowledge of the author, published (The Devil in Paradise, a folksshtik with songs and dance in four acts by Yosef Latayner, music by Wohl, publishing house of David Roth bookstore in Lemberg, Trs"t).

In 1904, according to B. Gorin, there was also staged Latayner's play, "Yehudis, oder, Dos farblonjete shefele (Judith, or, The Lost Sheep)."

On 20 April 1905 in the People's Theatre there was staged by Boiris Thomashefsky Latayner's "Der antlofener soldat, oder, Der griner zinger (The Runaway Soldier, or, The Greenhorn Singer)," New York, a lebensbild in four acts, music by Friedsell."

According to Jacob Mestel the play, under the name, "Der dezertir (The Deserter)," was one of the most popular in repertoire of the Yiddish theatre in Europe.

On 21 December 1905 in the People's Theatre there was staged Latayner's "Foter-libe (Father's Love)," a comedy-drama in four acts."

Acccording to B. Gorin in 1905 in the People's Theatre, there was staged Latayner's play, "Der oremer milyoner (The Poor Millionaire)" (Latayner called the play, "De milyoner un der betler").

On 10 April 1906 in the People's Theatre there was staged by Boris Thomashefsky Latayner's "Di goldene khasene, oder, Der amerikaner (The Godlen Wedding, or, The American)," a comedy-drama in four acts. The play later was very often played on the Yiddish stage in Europe and can be found today in the repertoire of the provincial theatres.

On 3 October 1906 there was staged by Boris Thomashefsky in the People's Theatre Latayner's "Man un vayb (Man and Wife)," a folksshtik in four acts with songs and dance, music by Mogulesko and Friedsell.

On 1 January 1907 in the People's Theatre there was staged by Thomashefsky Latayner's "Khosn kale, oder, Der tate hot di mame genumen (Bride and Groom, or, The Father Takes the Mother [?])," couplets by Mogulesko, music by Friedsell.

On 20 September 1907 there was staged by Thomashefsky in the People's Theatre Latayner's "Mayn vaybs fraynt, oder, Pukd en abut el bnim (My Wife's Friend, or, The Injustice of Fathers Over Sons [?])." The play is also occasionally played under the name "Shlomo khokhem (Solomon the Wise)."

The play during the World War was brought to Europe, where it was very often played under the name, "Shlomke un rikel," and in 1926 was published in Warsaw without Latayner's knowledge, with Thomashefsky as the author (Shlomke un rikel, a comic operetta in four acts by Thomashefsky, publisher E. Gitlin, Warsaw, 1926, 48 pp., 16°).

In 1908, according to B. Gorin, there was staged Latayner's "Daniel, oder, Di tokhter fun yerushalayim (Daniel, or, The Daughter of Jerusalem)," a biblical operetta."

On 9 October 1908 in Kessler's Thalia Theatre there as staged by Kessler Latayner's "Dos yidishe harts (The Jewish Heart)," music by Mogulesko and Brody, which created a special chapter in the history of Yiddish theatr in America. About this, B. Gorin writes: "It fell to Kessler's fate to be the first to celebrate the victory of shund over the better drama. While in the People's Theatre they performed Gordin's last drama, "Dementia Amerikana," Kessler put in in the Thalia Theatre, "Dos yidishe harts (The Jewish Heart)" by Yosef Latayner, and against all expectations the latter play turned out great. The directors simply couldn't believe their eyes, but as the week went on, the box office convinced them more and more of the unprecedented success. In the theatre. It was attributed to the merits of the greater actors. The press attributed the success to Mogulesko's legs. ... And no one could deny during the story that this is a Rabbi's Kaddish after the best drama."

"The Jewish Heart" also soon thereafter was staged on the Yiddish stage in Europe and had a great success. Also in Europe the play, without the knowledge of the author, was published ("Kunst" Publishing House, Warsaw, The Jewish Heart, a comical operetta in four acts and seven scenes, by Latayner, Warsaw, Tre'a).

On 6 November 1908 Thomashefsky in the People's Theatre staged Latayner's "Der gonev, oder, Der yidisher birgermayster (The Thief, or, The Jewish Mayor)," a comedy in four acts, music by Friedsell.

From then on there were constant interruptions in Latayner's dramatic activity. Initially in October 1910 there was staged by Kessler Latayner's play, "Yom hakhupe," which later also was very often staged on the Yiddish stage in Europe, and first on 25 September 1912 in Kessler's Second Avenue Theatre -- "Ir udu (You and I)."

In 1913, according to Gorin, there was staged Latayner's plays, "A yor nokh der khasene (A Year After the Wedding)," and "A muter harts (A Mother's Heart)." Both plays were later brought to Europe and there were played on the Yiddish stage.

On 26 June 1914 Sam Schneier staged at Kessler's Roof Garden Latayner's play, "A mame fun yener velt (A Mother From Another World)."

On 8 January 1915 in Kessler's Second Avenue Theatre there was staged Latayner's "Der falsher shrit (The False Step)," A drama in four acts, music by Brody and Friedsell.

On 3 March 1916 in Kessler's Second Avenue Theatre there was staged under the direction of Morris Morrison Latayner's "A korbn fun libe (A Victim of Love)," a lebensbild in four acts, music by Brody and Friedsell.

In March 1916 there was also staged Latayner's play, "Der umshuldiker korbn (The Innocent Victim)." The play, after the World War, was brought over to Europe and played on the Yiddish stage there. Also there it was published without the knowledge of the author under another name and anonymously (A vayb on loshn, oder, Der unshuldiger korbn), a melodrama in three acts, publisher Sh. Goldfarb, Warsaw, 1927.

On 20 September 1917 in Kessler's Second Avenue Theatre there was staged by Kessler Latayner's "Der emeser fraynd (The True Friend)," a comedy-drama in four acts.

On 11 October 1918 in Thomashefsky's National Theatre there was staged by Thomashefsky Latayner's "Di makhatunim, oder, Dos shpil fun lebn (The In-Laws, or, The Play of Life)," a folksshtik in four acts, music by Joseph Rumshinsky.

On 15 September 1921 in the People's Theatre there was staged by Max Rosenthal Latayner's "Dos tsadiks mishpokhe (The Righteous Family)," a comedy-drama in four acts, music by Joseph Brody.

On 12 January 1923 thre was staged by Max Rosenthal in the People's Theatre Latayner's "Shalom bis," a drama in four acts, music by Joseph Brody.

On 19 February 1925 in Kessler's Second Avenue Theatre there was staged, with Molly Picon in the title role, Latayner's "Dos tsigayner meydl (The Gypsy Girl)," stylized and staged by Jacob Kalich, music by Joseph Rumshinsky.

On 30 December 1927 in the National Theatre there was staged by Aaron Lebedeff the operetta "A gan-eydn far tsvey ( A Paradise for Two)," by William Siegel and Yosef Latayner, lyrics by Jacob Jacobs, music by Alexander Olshanetsky.

On 23 March 1928 in the Second Avenue Theatre there was staged with Molly Picon in the main role, "Mazl brukhe (Good Luck)," a fantasized operetta by Yosef Latayner, director -- Jacob Kalich, music -- Joseph Rumshinsky, dance arranged by Max Sheck [sp].

On 7 March 1930 in the Second Avenue Theatre there was staged with Molly Picon in the title role, "Di komediante (The Little Clown)," a biographical play of Molly Picon's life, libretto by Yosef Latayner, adapted by William Siegel, lyrics by Molly Picon and Harry Levin, director -- Jacob Kalich, music by Joseph Rumshinsky.

Because of this, Latayner''s plays were printed without his control. They are, as he complains, all crumpled, certain parts are missing completely or are transposed, other parts of the text belonging entirely to plays by other authors.

Several plays were also published in Latayner's name that belong to other writers: thus the published play, "Shlomo gorgel," an operetta in four acts, nine scenes, by Yosef Latayner, Yiddish Theatre Library, No. 6, Warsaw 1907, -- truly the play, "Hadassah," by M. Hurwitz, and the published play, "Dos yudishe kind (The Jewish Child)," a comic operetta by Yosef Latayner, mainly sold by the "Kultur" publishing house, Warsaw, June {?] 13, 1911 -- were truly written by Shomer-Sheikowitz and later performed on the Yiddish stage in America in the adaptation by Reuben Weissman.

According to Jacob Mestel, many theatre plays from other authors were staged under the name of Yosef Latayner. Mestel explains it this way: The illegal, smuggled Yiddish plays from America, in a crippled form, arrived in Europe without the name of the author (that the transcribers obtained in a hurry and for other understandable reasons  -- deliberately omitted [the author's name] in their seized copies. And when Latayner was perhaps the only name of a Yiddish playwright who then was very close to the Yiddish actors in Europe, there was placed on each transferred piece Yosef Latayner as author.

Ab. Cahan, writing about Latayner as a playwright, remarked: "Yosef Latayner had competed with Hurwitz, and there was a time when Latayner's play was maintained for many weeks, and the Oriental [Theatre] company brought in great sums, while Hurwitz's plays failed. ... His main competitor, Yosef Latayner, also used to take his subjects from finished works, but he used to at least make an effort to work on them according to his understanding." 

Some title pages to Latayner's published works.

B. Gorin was much stricter with Latayner: "Mr. Yosef Latayner is one of those who have the ability to put together pieces and catch the harvest offering plays that please the world. He did not dream of "culture" pieces; he even understood that he could not know the labor of those who for the first time wrote for the Yiddish stage, and he gave himself to this labor ... Yosef Latayner did not possess any creative spirit. Everything that he wrote was passed over in abundance, and he had written a great many. In the pieces he went away further from Goldfaden's first burlesques. His plots (subjects) were complex, strongly crippled and twisted. One can often find several Gentile pieces in some of them. The plays were nearly all melodramas. That is, here is the power to laugh, [and] to be saddened; here there were inserted liturgical poems and dances. Most of the couplets had no taste, and the entire [thing] consisted of religious melodies. The clown went hand-in-hand with the prince, and when someone spoke a word, the others would tell a joke. Above all, it is life that can be seen in these plays. [This is] very remarkable, and when we sit in the theatre it shines on us, that we were safely transported across the river Sambatyon, and we find ourselves behind the mountain darkness; so foreign to us is the language, the feelings, the place of speech, the customs. A king and a shepherd stand socially on the same level, the master and servant eat from the same handle; everyone seems to be going off the seventh note, and in this atmosphere the author and the audience find themselves quite at home.

" ... In Mr. Latayner's plays the people knock together as if on purpose. Each of them acts as if they had no relation with the rest. ... In Mr. Latayner's plays the individuals don't care about each other at all. One action draws in me Yeshua Lech, and the other in Me Yedamah Lech [?]. One person says day, and the second says night, and they are going to do something! And that's why it's so easy for him to take an act from one play, a second from a second play, a third from a third and make a play out of it. ... When we wish to analyze as such the author Latayner, and the play ("The Jewish Heart") that he has created, we will find this key to all of his works, to the entire craft of creating plays as he and his friends have understood it. The topic of the play, that which bears the name of the play, is entirely Gentile, but just as it is not appropriate to give a Gentile thing to a Jewish audience, and the author has no power to Jewishize the piece, he only changes the name of the piece, and from such an easy operation the Gentile play in one minute became "The Jewish Heart." This kind of work is very easy, moreover, it does not require any talent, any knowledge. All that is needed is to find a finished piece and give it a genuine Yiddish name. But this is the first part of the job. Such a piece would be just the opposite for the Jewish public. Latayner wouldn't be Latayner if he had to get used to the fact that he could take a finished play as it stands and go and change only the name of the play and the names of the heroes. He brings into such a play a second element, and this is an entire special comedy or farce or burlesque, which has no relationship with the drama. The comedy once more can be an entire comedy, a non-Jewish one, or the author's own creation. If the comic element has an entire action, you can be sure that it is taken from what is farce, what was played among the Gentiles, and nine times out of ten you will find it. Even if the comic element only consists of making a fool of oneself, it is certainly original.

"The idea to stick an entire farce into a drama belongs to Latayner. This is his achievement. The answer is this: One doesn't know what an audience will feel. One time they want something serious, something should be done [tp affect] his heart, and sometimes they want that it should tickle him, so that he can have a good laugh. And at times he wants a bit of music. To be sure, he should be given a drama, a comedy, an operetta. At the same time it should be noted that although in every play on the Yiddish stage there is a mixture of the comic element with the dramatic, there however is  such a type of combination of a whole special drama and a whole special comedy. This combination is entirely Latayner's accomplishment. The craft of the author must be shown in how to combine two separate pieces that have no relation to each other. But Yosef Latayner doesn't understand this relationship. He doesn't understand what a relationship should be from one subject to the second, from one person to the second, from a person to a place, to the time. His perception of a piece is that it shoud contain stuff that would sometimes cause the audience to feel cold, and sometimes it would make them laugh. No one cares how it is proven. He only sees the stage and the public.

"In his plays one can easily notice two different lines -- one dramatic and the second comic. The dramatic line staggers the hero and the heroine with it. Thse figures are usually known from a higher matter.  ... and that's why they both have, both the hero as well as the heroine [speak] a completely different language than befits such people. Usually the language is their German, although all of their neighbors, among whom they grew up and were brought up, speak only a mother tongue. The dramatic element is mostly carried over from non-Jewish pieces. What the author has to do here is to change the names and add salt and pepper into the dense scenes according to the taste of the simple public. The German that the hero speaks probably stems in part from this, what Mr. Latayner draws from heroes from German pieces and partly from false notions about higher authority. The second line is a comical one. This line is draggeda along by a comical person. ... This person was already created by the author himself, and their tongue is indeed at once a pure mother tongue. Almost all of the main comical characters are in the mold of Shmendrik, may he have a bright paradise, and they appear in almost every play that Mr. Latayner has written. Usually if they have a disability, either physical or mental, they are divided into two types: bad and good people. Their work is to serve in the house, where the hero or heroine finds themself, and when the author has already dug them out somewhere from behind the darkness, he has already taken care to bring with him a pearl, a male and a female to maintain their kind.  ... Latayner's comedy is not from ridiculous situations, his comedy is evident in his limping, humping, mocking, and the like. ... In a mixing of the words that do not stick to each other. ... or in a conversation that by his clumsiness, unsteadiness, and lack of flight should show idiocy."

Zalmen Zylbercweig remarks: "In the merit of these great deliverers (Latayner and Hurwitz), the theatre held on, receiving the special stamp from which it could not get rid of so easily.  ... In his first theatre piece, strongly Germanized (according to his words -- in accordance with the German and Hungarian Jews), he later began to use a purer (Yiddish) language."

Jacob Mestel remarks: "The views brought up about Latayner, according to our knowledge, are too one-sided. Until now, however, there has not been published a monographic work about Latayner, which should indicate the meaning of Latayner's plays, both for the financial growth of Yiddish theatre, as well as for the technique of the Yiddish stage, and due to this his plays, in their time, were so popular.

Latayner's published plays in Yiddish:

1. Blihmele, oder, Der perle fun varsha (Blihmele, or, The Pearl of Warsaw) (Aliles-Da'm), an operetta in five acts by Latayner, music by Abramowitz. Latayner's theatre play, Podgórze, 1903. Publishing house of Benjamin Munk bookstore in Krakow (16°, 63 pages).

2. Ishah raʻah (The Bad Woman), an operetta in four act by Yosef Latayner, Podgórze, 1904, Publishing house of Benjamin Munk boostore in Lemberg, 16°, 71 pages).

3. Dovids fidele (David's Violin), a lebensbild in four acts by Yosef Latayner. Podgórze, 1904. Published by Sh.L. Deitsher. Publishing house of Aharon Foyst bookstore in Krakow, (16°, 66 pages).

4. Mamon der geld-got (Mamon, the Money God), oder, Kurkh's oytsres (Kurkh's Treasures), a historical operetta in four acts by Yosef Latayner, music by Friedsell, Publishing house of Aharon Foyst bookstore, Krakow, Podgórze (16°, 60 pages, 1904).

5. Khinke pinke, oder, Gavriel der maler (Hinke pinke, or, Gabriel the Painter), by Yosef Latayner, Yiddish Theatre Library, Warsaw, 1907 (16°, 61 pages).

6. Der man undertn tish (The Man Under the Table), a vaudeville in one act, authored by Y. Latayner, Warsaw, 1907 (16°, 16 pages).

6a. Warsaw 1911.

7. Publishing house "Yiddish Stage," Sarah Sheindel, a lebensbild with songs and dance, by Yosef Latayner, issued by Y. Lidsky. Nokhdruk, di piese, ingantsen vi oykh in theylen, vi di proze un azoy oykh di lieder iz shtreng ferbotn. Heroiysber, Warsaw (1907, 16°, 60 pages). The play was called by the author, "Di farblonjete neshome [The Lost Soul]."

8. Khurbn yerushalayim (The Destruction of Jerusalem), a historical operetta in five acts by Yosef Latayner. Yiddish Theatre Library, no. 13, Warsaw, 1908, 16°, 47 pages).

9. Yudale der blinder (Yudele the Blind), oder, Emes ushkr (Truth and Lies), a folksshtik in four acts by Yosef Latayner, music by Worel (Wohl). Publishing house of Amkroyt and Friend bookstore, Przsemysl, 1908 (16°, 64 pages).

10. Di seder nakht (The Seder Night), a lebensbild in four acts and twelve scenes by Yosef Latayner, music by Frisel (Friedsell). Publishing house of Akroyt and Friend, Przemyśl, 1908 (16°, 68 pages).

11. Ezra der evige yude (Ezra, the Eternal Jew), an operetta in four acts and ten scenes by Yosef Latayner, music by Max Abramovich, Trs"kh, ... published by Amkroyt and Friend bookstore, Przemyśl (16°, 68 pages).

12. Al nahares bovl (By the Rivers of Babylon), a biblical music-drama in four acts with epilogue by Yosef Latayner, Publishing House of Akroyt and Friend, Przemyśl, 1909 (16°, 59 pages).

13. Der sotn in gan eydn (The Devil in Paradise), a folksshtik with songs and dance in four acts by Yosef Latayner, music by Wohl. Publishing house of the David Roth bookstore in Lemberg (1909, 16°, 56 pages).

14. Bas sheva, oder, Dos vinshfingerl, a fantasy operetta in four acts by Yosef Latayner. Published by the Amkroyt and Friend bookstore, Przemyśl, 1911 (16°, 67 pages).

15. Publishing House "Kultur," Warsaw, Dos yudishe harts (The Jewish Heart), a comic operetta in four acts and seven scenes by Y. Latayner. Warsaw, 1911 (16°, 71 pages).

15a. Warsaw, 1913.

16. Yosef Latayner, Mishke un moshke, oder, Eyropeer in Ameriea (Di grinhorns [The Greenhorns]), a comedy in five acts, Warsaw, 1911. Mostly sold in the publishing house "Kultur," Warsaw, 16°, 38 pages.

17. Yosef in Egipten (Joseph in Egypt), a historical operetta in five acts and eight scenes. Music by Sandler, by Yozef Latayner. Publishing house of Amkroyt and Friend bookstore, Przemyśl, 1913 (16°, 44 pages).

18. Publishing house "Theatre Library," Shloymke un rikel, a comic operetta in four acts by Thomashefsky ("Mayn vaybs fraynt [My Wife's Friend])" by Yosef Latayner. Publishing house of E. Gitlin, Warsaw, 1926 (16°, 48 pages).

19. A vayb ohn loshn, oder, Der unshuldiger korbn (A Wife Without a Tongue, or the Innocent Victim), a melodrama in three acts (by Y. Latayner), Publishing house of Sh. Goldfarb, Warsaw, 1927 (16°, 40 pages).

Sh. E.

• "Z. Reisen -- "Lexicon of Yiddish Literature," Vol. II, pp. 48-54.

• B. Gorin -- "History of Yiddish Theatre," Vol. 1, pp. 192-200, 221-22, 242; Vol. 2, pp. 30-33, 75-82, 125, 169-170, 203, 267-68, 280.

• Theatre Reporter -- Theatre and Art, "Der Folks Advokat," N.Y., 26 September 1888.

• (---) -- Theater und kunst, "Der folks advokat," N.Y., 24 May 1889.

• John Paley -- Shloyme'le ehrlikh oder la tgnuv, "Der folks advokat," N.Y., 27 June 1890.

• John Paley -- Yehuids un holofernes, "Der folks advokat," N.Y., 10 October 1890.

• Morris Rosenfeld -- Khutzpah fun a theater-shrayber, "Der folks advokat," N.Y., 10, 17 March 1892.

• M. Zeifert -- "Di geshikhte fun yudishen teater" (gedrukht in "Di yidishe bihne," Red. -- Kh.Y. Minikes, N.Y., 1897).

• A shoyshpiler -- Gavriel ,"Der theater zhurnal," N.Y., N' 4, 1901.

• B. Gorin -- Goldele, "Der theater zhurnal," N.Y., N' 13, 1902.
  

• B. Gorin -- "Yidishe dramaturgen," "Der theater zhurnal," N.Y., N' 12-14, 1902.

• A. Gonikman -- Dray naye piesen, "Der theater zhurnal," N.Y., 15 February 1903.
  

• Z. Kornblith -- "Der yid in rumenyen," "Forward," N.Y., 2 May 1903.

• A.K. (Kahan) -- Latayner's a naye piese in pipels theter, "Forward," 23 September 1907.

• D.B. (Sh. Yanovsky) -- In theater, "Fraye arbeter shtime," N.Y., 28 September 1907.

• D.B. -- In theater, "Fraye arbeter shtime," N.Y., 17 October 1908.
  

• J. Mestel -- Der sotn in gan-eydn, "Tagblat," Lemberg, 13 November 1908.

• Hutchins Hapgood - "The Spirit of the Ghetto," New York, Funk & Wagnalls Comp., 1909, pp. 113-176.

• Morris Rosenfeld -- Di "narishe vokh" in kesler's lirik theater, "Forward," N.Y., 23 Octobrr 1910.

• M. Kipnis -- A treyst-brief fun latayner'n tsu di varshever yudishe teater-direktorn, "Der shtrahl," Warsaw, 3 February 1910.

• Gershom Bader -- Gevezene, "Theater un moving pikturs," N.Y., N' 5, 1913.

• Boris Thomashefsky -- Vi azoy men ganev-et a ge'gnv'ete piese, "Forward," N.Y., 1 February 1914.

• D.B. -- In theater, "Fraye arbeter shtime," N.Y., 13 March 1915.
  

• Bessie Thomashefsky -- "Mayn lebens geshikhte," N.Y., 1916, pp. 186-216, 221, 236, 255.
  

• D.B. -- In theater, "Fraye arbeter shtime," N.Y., 18 March 1916.
  

• D.B. -- In theater, "Fraye arbeter shtime," N.Y., 13 Octobrer 1917.
  

• B. Gorin -- Dos shpiel fun lebn, "Morning Journal," N.Y., 16 October 1918.
  
  

• D.B. -- In theater, Fraye arbeter shtime, N.Y., 2 November 1918.

• Aksel (Alter Epstein) -- "Dos tsadik's mishpokhe," Fraye arbeter shtime, N.Y., 21 October 1921.
  

• Israel the Yankee (Fridman) -- "Dem tsadik's mishpakhe, "Yidtgblat," N.Y., 31 October 1921.

• L. Kesner -- "Di tsegayner meydl" in kesler teater, "Yidtgblat," N.Y., 23 February 1925.

• B.Y. Goldstein -- Rumshinsky's opereta un libin's komedye, "Der tog," N.Y., 27 February 1925.

• Ab. Cahan -- "Di tsigayner meydl," an opereta in sekond evenyu theater, "Forward," N.Y., 13 March 1925.
  

• Regidebl -- "Dos tsigayner meydl," "Der groyser kunds," N.Y., 27 March 1925.

• Jacob Dineson -- "Zikhrones un bilder," Warsaw, pp. 236-45.

• Boris Thomashefsky -- Boris tomashefsky's zikhrones fun yidishn teater, "Kalifornyer idishe shtime," Los Angeles, 11, 18 January 1926.

• N. Auslander -- Au. Finkel, -- "A. Goldfaden," Minsk, 1926, pp. 51-52.
  

• Ab. Cahan -- "Bleter fun mayn lebn," N.Y.,1926, II, pp. 385-389.

• Sholem Perlmutter -- Yosef latayner, "Di idishe velt," Cleveland, 7 March 1927 ("Idishe dramaturgen," same, 25 November 1928).

• Zalmen Zylbercweig -- "HIntern forhang," Vilna, 1928, pp. 37-49.

• Dr. A.. Mukdoni -- A drame un an "opereta," Morning Journal, N.Y., 6 January 1928.

• A. Glantz -- "A gan-eydn far tsvey," "Der tog," N.Y., 13 January 1928.

• B.Y. Goldstein -- Oyf der teater evenyu, Fraye arbeter shtime, N.Y., N' 21, 1928.

• Ab. Cahan -- Di naye opereta in neshonel teater, "Forward," N.Y., 12 January 1928.

• Dr. A. Mukdoni -- In tsvey teaters, "Morning Journal," N. Y., 30 March 1928.

• A. Glantz -- Moli pikon in "mazl brokhe" finkelt mit nayem oyftu un talant, "Der tog," N.Y., 30 Marh 1928.
  

• Israel the Yankee -- (Retsenzye) "Yidtgblit," N.Y., 4 April 1928.

• B.Y. Goldstein -- Oyf der teater evenyu, "Fraye arbeter shtime," N.Y., 6 April 1928.
  

• S. Rogensburg -- "A gan-eydn far tsvey," "Di idishe velt," Philadelphia, 7 December 1928.

• Leon Blank -- Zigmund mogulesko -- der grester shoyshpiler oyf der idisher bihne, "Forward," N.Y., 15 December 1928.

• D. Kaplan -- "Di komediantke" in sekond evenyu teater, "Forward," N.Y.,14 March 1930.

• Willam Edlin -- "Di komediantke" in'm sekond evenyu teter, "Der tog," N.Y., 14 March 1930.

• B.Y. Goldstein -- Oyf der teater evenyu, "Fraye arbeter shtime," N.Y., 4 April 1930.
  

• Y.Sh. (Shatsky) -- A barikht vegn yidishn teater in nyu york fun 1894, "Archive," Vilna, 1930, pp. 446-47.

• Z. Zylbercweig -- A bletl hfkrus fun unzere farlang, "Chicago," Chicago, July 1931.