PALM BEACH OPERA Enemies, A Love Story Resource Guide

PALM BEACH OPERA
Enemies, A Love Story
Resource Guide
WHAT’S INSIDE:
The masterminds! The creative minds behind Enemies, A Love Story
Who’s who? Who you’ll meet in Enemies, A Love Story
Understanding the Action! The storyline of Enemies, A Love Story
Engage your mind! Activities to prepare you for your Enemies, A Love Story experience
Jourdan Laine Howell, Education & Community Engagement Manager
561.835.7566 // [email protected]
PALM BEACH OPERA // 561.833.7888 // PBOPERA.ORG
Enemies, A Love Story
The masterminds! The creative minds behind Enemies, A Love Story
Who wrote the book?
Isaac Bashevis Singer was one of the great storytellers of the twentieth century.
His writing is a unique blend of religious morality and social awareness
combined with an investigation of personal desires.
Isaac Bashevis Singer was born on July 24, 1904 in Radzymin, Poland. His parents
were religious Jews and pushed him towards a career as a religious scholar. In
1921 he enrolled in Rabbinical School, but left only two years later to work for a
Yiddish literary magazine. Though his rabbinical studies would remain a strong
influence on him, he longed to be a part of a literary community. Working as a
journalist, translator, and proofreader, Singer began to write short stories on the
side. By 1935 he had published his first book, SATAN IN GORAY. That same year,
Singer followed his brother, Isaac Joshua Singer to America. In New York, Isaac
Bashevis Singer began working for THE JEWISH DAILY FORWARD, a Yiddish
newspaper dedicated to issues of interest to its newly immigrated readership
which remains in existence today as a weekly publication.
Throughout the 1940s, Singer’s reputation began to grow among the many Yiddish-speaking
immigrants. After World War II and the near destruction of the Yiddish-speaking peoples, Yiddish
seemed a dead language. Though Singer had moved to the United States, he believed in the
power of his native language and knew that there was still a large audience that longed for new
work, work that would address the lives and issues of theirs. In 1950 Singer produced his first
major work, THE FAMILY MOSKAT—the story of a twentieth century Polish Jewish family before
the war. He followed this novel with a series of well-received short stories, including his most
famous, “Gimpel, The Fool.”
His works caught the attention of a number of American writers including Saul Bellow and Irving
Howe, who were greatly responsible for not only translating Singer’s work, but championing it as
well. Throughout the 1960s Singer continued to write on questions of personal morality. One of
his most famous novels (due to a popular movie remake) was ENEMIES: A LOVE STORY, in which a
Holocaust survivor deals with his own desires, complex family relationships, and the loss of faith.
By the 1970s, he had become a major international writer. After World War II there were few
Yiddish writers remaining and Singer was not only a vocal proponent of Yiddish writing, but the
major figure in Yiddish letters. Throughout the 1970s he wrote dozens of stories that were
eventually collected into books, and published in Yiddish and English as well as many other
languages. He branched out, writing memoirs and children’s books as well as two other major
novels set in the twentieth century, THE PENITENT (1974) and SHOSHA (1978).
After being awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978, Singer gained a monumental status
among writers throughout the world. He continued to write during the last years of his life, often
returning to Polish history which so entranced him throughout his early life. In 1988 he published
THE KING OF THE FIELDS and three years later, SCUM, a story of a man living in an earlytwentieth-century Polish shtetl. That same year, Isaac Bashevis Singer died at the age of eightyseven in Surfside, Florida. Incredibly prolific, Singer created an insightful and deep body of work
that will forever remain an important part of literary history.
Who wrote the libretto?
Nahma Sandrow’s Vagabond Stars: A World History of Yiddish Theater is now in its
third edition and remains the definitive work in the field. Her other books include
God, Man, and Devil: Yiddish Plays in Translation and Surrealism: Theater, Arts,
Ideas. In addition, she has written feature articles for the New York Times, the New
York Sun, ARTnews, and other newspapers, magazines and journals.
Dr. Sandrow won the Outer Critics Circle Award for the book of the musical KuniLeml. Other theater credits include the adaptation of her prize-winning
(ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS) history Vagabond Stars for the stage, and many
translations, several of which have been produced. She is the recipient of grants
from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the
Arts, and the Research Foundations of both the State University of New York and
the City University of New York. A PEN-nominated grant from the New York State
Council on the Arts supported her translation of Shulamis, a classic Yiddish
operetta, which was subsequently performed at Harvard University.
Nahma Sandrow
Dr. Sandrow lectures widely. She has spoken at universities such as Harvard and
Oxford, as well as at the Smithsonian Institution and many other academic and
cultural organizations. She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr College and the Yale School
of Drama.
Who wrote the music?
The music of American composer Ben Moore has been performed by many
leading singers including soprano Deborah Voigt, mezzo-sopranos Susan
Graham and Frederica von Stade, tenors Lawrence Brownlee and Robert White,
baritone Nathan Gunn and six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald. His work has
been called “brilliant” and “gorgeously lyrical” by the New York Times while
Opera News has praised the “easy tunefulness” and “romantic sweep” of his
songs.
Besides art song and opera Moore’s works include musical theater, cabaret,
chamber music, choral music and comedy material. In 2006 the Metropolitan
Opera’s farewell gala for Joseph Volpe, broadcast nationally, featured two
Moore songs, one for Deborah Voigt and one for Susan Graham. 2006 also saw
the release of the volume Ben Moore: 14 Songs published by G. Schirmer.
Reviewing the album, Classical Singer Magazine wrote, “…you can find a breath
of fresh air in the settings included in this volume…This composer is not afraid
of the past, but rather embraces many of the most beautiful aspects of his
artistic heritage while imbuing his work with its own personal colors and tones.”
Born on January 2, 1960, in Syracuse, New York, Moore grew up in Clinton, New
York and graduated from Hamilton College. With an MFA from The Parsons
School of Design, Moore also pursues a career as a painter.
Ben Moore
Enemies, A Love Story
An Opera in Two Acts
Composer – Ben Moore
Librettist – Nahma Sandrow
Based on the book by Isaac Bashevis Singer
WORLD PREMIERE PERFORMANCE
February 20, 2015 at PALM BEACH OPERA in West Palm Beach, Florida
Who’s who? Who you’ll meet in The Daughter of the Regiment
Who’s who? Who you’ll meet in Enemies, A Love Story
Herman Broder, an indecisive man in love
with three women
Yadwiga, Herman’s second wife
Masha, Herman’s mistress
Tamara, Herman’s first wife
Shifrah Puah, Masha’s mother
Tortshiner, Masha’s husband
Rabbi Lampert, American born religious
authority
Nissen, Tamara’s pious uncle
Sheva Haddas, Nissen’s pious wife
Hannah, Yadwiga’s nosy neighbor
Leah, Yadwiga’s nosier neighbor
Baritone
Soprano
Soprano
Mezzo soprano
Mezzo soprano
Bass baritone
Baritone
Tenor/high Baritone
Soprano or Mezzo soprano
Soprano
Mezzo soprano
Understanding the action! The storyline of
Enemies, A Love Story
Setting: The action takes place in New York City, from summer to spring,
circa 1948.
ACT I
An apartment in Coney Island, Brooklyn, 1948. Herman Broder, a Polish
Jewish writer and intellectual, is lost in a dream until his wife, Yadwiga,
rouses him. Yadwiga is a Polish farmer’s daughter and former family
servant who saved Herman from the Nazis. She believes Herman is leaving
for a sales trip (Little Bird). On his way he stops in a phone booth to talk to
his boss, Rabbi Lampert, for whom he writes books and lectures. Herman
actually goes to the Bronx to see his mistress Masha who lives with her
mother, Shifrah Puah, both concentration camp survivors ("My Love
Remembers"). Next morning at breakfast Herman finds a Personals notice in
the newspaper which leads him to an apartment on the Lower East Side.
There he is astonished to find Tamara, his first wife, reported to have been
killed in the war along with their two children. Tamara shares with him the
story of her escape (Tamara’s Aria). After learning of Yadwiga and Masha,
she offers to divorce him, though he refuses.
Yadwiga’s neighbors advise her to suspect Herman’s frequent sales trips,
but she asserts her faith in her husband (Yadwiga’s Aria). On an outing to
the Bronx Zoo, Masha announces that she has gotten a divorce from her
scientist husband and questions Herman about the Personals notice.
Under pressure, Herman marries Masha in a Jewish wedding, acquiring a
third wife, though of course Tamara’s reappearance means that this
ceremony with Masha is meaningless. Tamara tries to give Herman
practical advice, for old times’ sake (March Scene). Then Herman meets
Masha’s ex-husband in a cafeteria. His revelations that Masha had lovers
over the years and that she slept with him as the price of a divorce shake
Herman, who renounces Masha and all his own lies too. He resolves to
return to religious tradition, start a family with Yadwiga, and be faithful to
her (“Baby Waltz”).
INTERMISSION
ACT II
Herman’s three wives, each in her own apartment, face the future (Women's
Trio). Then Tamara decides to visit Herman's apartment, terrifying Yadwiga,
who at first believes she’s a ghost and then offers to leave Herman and
return to Poland. By coincidence, a neighbor brings Rabbi Lampert to meet
Yadwiga. The rabbi sees that Herman is married to Yadwiga but thinks that
Tamara is a cousin. The phone rings; Masha convinces Herman to come see
her after months of separation and he rushes out. When he arrives at her
apartment we learn that she told him she is pregnant, but only to get him there (Prayer Scene). He is
unable to tell her that their wedding was a sham.
Now, committed again to Masha, Herman tries to confide his tangle of lies to the rabbi. Pregnant
Yadwiga, protected by Tamara, is finally becoming aware of Herman's double life. It is the holiday of
Hanuka, and Tamara teaches Yadwiga to light the holiday candles and say the blessings. Herman takes
Masha to the rabbi’s Hanuka celebration, where the rabbi and partygoers celebrate miracles and survival
("Miracles of Life). But when the rabbi meets Masha and mentions Herman’s “cousin” Tamara, Masha
figures out that Herman’s wife is in New York and therefore Herman deliberately deceived her; they are
not married. The rabbi offers to help her move to Florida and start again. Herman realizes that he cannot
live without Masha. He leaves Yadwiga and their unborn child in Tamara’s care and appears in the Bronx,
where Masha is packing. She takes him back, and they plan a new life in Florida ("Morning in Florida").
But Masha’s mother suddenly falls sick. While she is rushing her to the hospital, Herman finds he cannot
go through with his commitment to a new life with Masha. When she returns after her mother has died,
Masha sees that Herman has left her, and she kills herself. In the final moments Yadwiga and Tamara are
together with the baby.
Engage your mind! Activities to prepare you for Enemies, A Love Story
6-12th Grade
Literary Analysis
Fiction: The student identifies, analyzes, and applies knowledge of the elements of a variety of
fiction and literary texts to develop a thoughtful response to a literary selection. (LA.6.2.1);
(LA.7.2.1); (LA.8.2.1); (LA.910.2.1); (LA.1112.2.1)
Isaac Beshevis Singer wrote Enemies, A Love Story in 1966. The subject was deemed
appropriate for an opera by librettist Nahma Sandrow and composer Ben Moore. Having read
the synopsis, offer five reasons why Singer’s book makes for an interesting stage work.
Next, determine other literary works that you believe should be translated into an operatic
stage work.
Example: Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
1. Multiple sub plots
2. Memorable characters
3. Historical drama
6th-12th Grade
Critical Think and Reflection
Enduring Understanding 1: Cognition and reflection are required to appreciate, interpret, and
create with artistic intent. (TH.68.C.1); (TH.912.C.1)
Enemies, A love Story is a world premiere opera. This means that the opera is being produced
and presented for the first time EVER! When tackling a world premiere, the producing
company works with stage artisans who imagine, design, and create all aspects of the work
(i.e. the sets, the costumes, the staging, the props) which will set the standard by which all
future productions of the opera will be measured.
Step into the role of Set Designer. Reread the provided synopsis then choose a scene below.
Design a set concept for the selected scene and use an appropriate medium to display your
design: drawing, digital media, scale model, storyboard, etc.
Option No. 1: Herman and Yadwiga’s apartment; Herman sings a playful folksong for Yadwiga
Option No. 2: apartment on the Lower East Side; Herman discovers that his wife Tamara has
survived the Holocaust
Option No. 3: Herman has flashbacks to a hayloft where he hid from Nazi persecutors
9th-12th Grade
American History
Standard 6: Understand the causes and course of World War II, the character of the war at home
and abroad, and its reshaping of the United States role in the post-war world. (SS.912.A.6)
SS.912.A.6.3: Analyze the impact of the Holocaust during World War II on Jews as well as other
groups.
What happened to the Jewish people who survived the atrocities of the Third Reich?
Brainstorm and list 5-10 issues you believe survivors would have faced in the aftermath of the
Holocaust. Using the following resources, verify or correct your list.
1. www.holocaust-history.org/short essays
2. www.ushmm.org (The aftermath of the Holocaust)
3. www.thehoocaustexplained.org (Survival and Legacy)
6-8th Grade
Reading Process
Vocabulary Development: The student uses multiple strategies to develop grade appropriate
vocabulary. (LA.6.1.6); (LA.7.1.6); (LA.8.1.6); (LA.910.1.6); (LA.1112.1.6)
Research and define the following terms related to the Holocaust Aftermath:
Liberation
Citizenship
Refugee
Genocide
Displaced Person
Displaced Person Camp (DP Camp)
Pogrom
The United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration
American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee
Jewish Brigade Group
United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of Genocide
6th-12th Grade
Communication
Penmanship: The student engages in the writing process and writes to communicate ideas and
experiences. (LA.6.5.1); (LA.7.5.1); (LA.8.5.1) ; (LA.910.5.1) ; (LA.1112.5.1)
Visit the following links found on www.theholocaustexplained.com. Read the quotes and/or
watch the accompanying videos. Write a paragraph response to each quote or video entry.
Link No. 1
Link No. 2
Link No. 3
Link No. 4
PALM BEACH OPERA
EDUCATION PROGRAMS
2015 SEASON
LA BOHÈME
BY GIACOMO PUCCINI
JANUARY 16-18, 2015
ENEMIES,
A LOVE STORY
MUSIC BY BEN MOORE
LIBRETTO BY NAHMA SANDROW
BASED ON THE BOOK BY
ISAAC BASHEVIS SINGER
FEBRUARY 20-22, 2015
THE DAUGHTER
OF THE REGIMENT
La fille du Régiment
BY GAETANO DONIZETTI
MARCH 20-22, 2015
561.833.7888
PBOPERA.ORG
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Jourdan Laine Howell
Education and Community Engagement Manager
[email protected]
561.835.7566
pbopera.org
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Goldner Center for Children’s Opera Education