MONTREAL — Montreal has a justifiably international reputation as a centre for Yiddish theatre, but far less known is the fact that it is also home to a growing Hebrew theatre.
The Hebrew Theatre of the Jewish Public Library (JPL) has developed from a group of Israeli expatriates who put on plays mainly for their own entertainment to a troupe that mounts an annual full-fledged production for the public.
This amateur theatre may be the only permanent one in North American regularly presenting original productions of Israeli plays in the language they were written.
This year’s play, the troupe’s eighth, is Ephraim Kishon’s classic comedy His Reputation Precedes Him (Sh’Mo Holech Le’fanav), which will be performed on June 7 at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. at the Marymount Adult Centre (formerly Wagar High School) in Côte St. Luc.
Simultaneous English surtitles are an innovation the troupe hopes will expand its audience beyond the Israeli-born and, increasingly, graduates of the Jewish day schools.
Producer Nitza Parry is confident the approximately 450-seat auditorium will be full for each show.
She is promising the highest calibre production put on yet, thanks in part to an anonymous donor.
For the first time, a rotating set has been built that allows for two distinct scene changes.
The theatre is all-volunteer, including the actors and crew, a core of about a dozen people. David (Dudu) Razon, an original member of the company, has a role in the play and he designed the set this year.
The director is a veteran of English theatre, playwright Aviva Ravel, one of the few non-Israelis involved. She gained her fluency in Hebrew while living in Israel for 13 years.
“It’s very funny,” she said of the play, “We are laughing all the time at rehearsals.”
The three-act play, written in 1953, is a satire on Israeli society with its cronyism and bureaucracy. It is still relevant today, said Parry, the longtime chair of the Jewish and Israeli studies department at Dawson College, noting that it was presented by Tel Aviv’s Cameri Theatre this spring.
Tzvi Protzkin, played by Amit Reiter, is a naive and idealistic immigrant learning the ways of his new country, where, without connections, it is hard to get ahead.
On the strength of a letter from a penniless fellow tenant whose name, Itamar Levanon, “sounds good,” the immigrant is appointed director of the pipe department of a government-owned factory, even though his field of expertise is seltzer water.
“The play exposes the human foibles of government officials and managers who aspire to wealth and power. The exceptionally well-drawn characters evoke laughter and engage us in lively theatre,” Parry said.
Kishon, an immigrant from Hungary, was one of Israel’s most popular humorists and wrote a column in the daily newspaper Ma’ariv for many years. He died in 2005, three years after being awarded the Israel Prize, the nation’s highest cultural honour, for lifetime achievement.
The character who discreetly observes the office scheming and pulls invisible strings is Moshe, the tea server, played by Razon. “The tea server overhears the secrets in every room. He knows more about what is going on than the president, and has an opinion on how the company should be run. Moshe is the narrator who introduces the story and closes it.”
Razon, 60, a travel agent by day, has had a passion for the stage since his school days in Israel. On account of his mellifluous voice, Razon was advised that he might have a future in acting or broadcasting.
But after his army service he took a job with El Al, and that is how he came to Canada in 1979 as the airline’s general manager here. A few years later, he bought a travel agency and settled permanently in Montreal.
Since the Hebrew Theatre was launched in 2000, he has appeared in almost every play. Its founders came largely from an Israel social group, Zika, which for some years brought in Israeli performers.
Although they had no professional experience, the idea to form their own troupe evolved. They began doing staged readings among themselves, something the troupe still does occasionally for the public at the JPL.
“Our shows have become more sophisticated over the years, and for non-professionals, I think we can say we have nothing to be ashamed of considering the resources we have,” Razon said.
For tickets, call 345-6416 or for information, 345-2627, ext. 3017.
