Immigrant Jews: Ted Allan

Montreal Gazette Dept: Bitter as longtime artistic director Bryna Wasserman is staging her last show before leaving for a gig in New York. Sweet because world-renowned theatre veteran, folksinger and Oscar-nominated actor Theodore Bikel is starring in her latest musical staging of Lies My Father Told Me. Mixed emotions, indeed, according to Montreal Gazette. Lies My Father Told Me has been through many reincarnations; it started out as a short story by Ted Allan in 1948, which became a radio play and then a 1976 Golden Globe-winning film. Dora Wasserman directed a stage version at the Segal Centre in 1984, which was later revamped into a Yiddish musical by her daughter, Bryna, in 2005 and it's a bittersweet moment for the Segal Centre. Lies My Father Told Me depicts the life of immigrant Jews in 1920s Montreal, particularly that of 6-year-old David. Living in poverty, David finds solace in spending time with his Russianborn grandfather, Zaida, who frequently takes him on horse-drawn carriage rides to discuss life and God while also peddling bottles and cloth in the alleys. As reported in the news.
@t theodore bikel, dora wasserman