The Sorceress (Di Kishefmakherin) NYC Reviews and Tickets

83%

(57 Reviews)

Positive

100%

Mixed

Negative

Members say

Entertaining, Great singing, Delightful, Enchanting, Clever

About the Show

NYTF presents one of the earliest works of modern Yiddish theater, an 1878 musical fantasy starring an innocent young heroine and her dashing fiancé. Performed in Yiddish with English and Russian subtitles.

From the show:

A magical, musical fantasy starring an innocent young heroine and her dashing fiancé, a devious stepmother, and a scheming wicked witch. “The Sorceress takes its audience into a world of illusion, intrigue, and not least of all, suspense: will Good trump Evil?

Written in 1878, The Sorceress (Di Kishefmakherin) is one of the earliest works by Avrom Goldfaden, the acknowledged father of modern Yiddish theatre. It was brought to America in 1882 by a 14-year old Boris Thomashefsky, who would go on to become one of Yiddish theatre’s biggest stars.

Member Reviews (57)

Refreshing, Entertaining, Great staging, Delightful, Ambitious

See it if charming, colorful, delightful theatricals with dramatic arch villains amuse you. Don't miss this! The singing is wonderful too.

Don't see it if Reading supertitles bothers you. Or if you require even a suggestion of realistic plotting.

Old fashioned, Great singing, Great staging, Entertaining, Delightful

See it if you like a very old fashioned Yiddish musical from 1878. Nice singing and staging. Some very funny scenes. Great costumes.

Don't see it if you like a sophisticated comedy or musical. This show is delightful but it is not Noel Coward. Read more

Dizzying, Quirky, Slow, Entertaining, Clever

See it if Breezy, enjoyable cartoon bright staging of Yiddish folk tale Well sung/performed by ensemble esp Botchan & Yashinsky as the female villains

Don't see it if Supertitles can distract from spirited antics of cast (best to glance up for plot devices) but the Yiddish soon becomes easily acceptable

Dated, Great staging, Delightful, Clever, Charming

See it if you have enjoyed previous productions by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene or if you want to see a Yiddish version of a fairy tale.

Don't see it if you don’t like reading surtitles or if you are not interested in the Yiddish musical theater. It makes up in charm what it lacks in depth.

Fluffy, Great singing, Entertaining, Enchanting

See it if This is a wonderful children's show, if not for the need to read. Fluffy and cute, good conquers evil. Great singing and staging.

Don't see it if You don't want to have to read the subtitles. The story was very simplistic and silly, so it's not a deep night of theater.

Romantic, Refreshing, Entertaining, Delightful

See it if you want to experience the history of Yiddish theater. Loved the show and now can understand why it was so popular.

Don't see it if you don't like reading super titles and don't like simple, fairy tale plots - although this was more intelligent than most.

Fun, Old-fashioned, Kid-friendly, Joyful, Great set design

See it if You want to see something that is both a very well-performed piece of theatre and simultaneously a piece of Jewish history.

Don't see it if You are going in expecting that NYTF has updated the piece to make it more palatable to modern theatre-going audiences. Read more

Great staging, Great singing, Great acting, Funny, Delightful

See it if A wonderful night of theater. Fantastic. Not to be missed. Bring everyone with you.

Don't see it if If you have trouble with reading subtitles.

Critic Reviews (2)

CRITIC’S PICK. "'The Sorceress’ Casts a Charming Spell in Yiddish: Now playing at the Museum of Jewish Heritage, the 19th-century operetta is a fairy tale confection you can feel right down to your kishkes."
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"The National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene...has reached even further back in the tradition of Jewish-themed theater in New York City, to 1878, presenting Avrom Goldfaden's 'The Sorceress,' the first piece of Yiddish theater to appear on an American stage..."
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Trailer

Creative team

National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene