Prague, 1912 (the Savoy Cafe Yiddish Theatre) NYC Reviews and Tickets

43%

(14 Reviews)

Positive

Mixed

29%

Negative

64%

Members say

Disappointing, Confusing, Quirky, Slow, Indulgent

About the Show

Theater for the New City presents this comedy based on historic personalities of the Yiddish Theater.

A vagabond acting company comes to Prague: it's Jak Lowy and his leading lady, Mme. Trassik. Lowy is a veteran actor who has put stars in her eyes and the two are lovers. When they act together, it's magic, but their repertoire is in shambles. They subsist more by selling baked sweet potatoes than by selling tickets to their unconventional versions of classic plays. What emerges is a backstage comedy of their love-hate relationship and their entrapment of a sympathetic local writer named Gregor Samsa.

Member Reviews (14)

Incoherent, Aimless, Unfocused, Unengaging, Disappointing

See it if you want to see every NYC show. Otherwise, there are much better ones. I learned nothing about 1912/Prague/Yiddish theater/the actors this

Don't see it if show was based on. Script was painfully amateurish. Neither actors nor director were good. Trumpet was best part. I left half-way through. Read more

Sadly disappointing, Uncomfortably smarmy, Incoherent / confusing, Cliched & quirky, Excruciating / indulgent

See it if you're cool with a WTF evening of "I have no freaking idea what I just saw was about", yet can laugh about it later. Can't blame the actors.

Don't see it if ... just don't. I get that era & its style, & how different it is from today's style. That's not the issue. Prague is just a huge WTF mess. Read more

Critic Reviews (3)

“‘Prague, 1912 (The Savoy Café Yiddish Theater)’ desperately needs a rewrite, but alas, the author, Lu Hauser, died six years ago. Billed as a ‘backstage comedy,’ it is not the least bit funny. It does not reveal anything about backstage life except that the actors appear to be starving. Nothing is learned about the Yiddish theater except that in 1912 they were still performing scenes from the classics, not contemporary works.”
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“Come see this show for a few hours of fine-tuned ecstasy...The view of Yiddish theater given here is one that accesses whole other worlds of sentimentality and power...I am motivated to read more of Lu Hauser’s work, and likely many people will be opening up volumes of Kafka. The show has an experimental edge. It brings together several interesting pieces by its author, and borrows the cadence of the very influential Yiddish performers."
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"A backstage comedy that leaves us laughing frequently, over the course of the night. While this play takes place a century ago, much of its humor is still relatable to those of us who’ve been in theatre...The play is wonderfully staged, in a way that gives the actors the opportunity to shine and display their comedic talents...The main highlight of the production is the three lead actors who bring the play to life in such a lively and animated fashion."
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