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Yiddish Stars of the Past and Present | Mickey Katz and Ben Liebert

NYTF Radio

English - September 30, 2020 22:00 - 30 minutes - 20.7 MB - ★★★★★ - 7 ratings
Performing Arts Arts History theater yiddish musicals goldfaden thomashevsky nytf judaism music history Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed


On today’s episode, the past and present of Yiddish theater collide as we explore the life and performance of renowned Yiddish musician and comedian Mickey Katz. We are joined by Ben Liebert, who is making his return to Folksbiene! Live on Thursday, October 8th with A Bisl Borscht: A Tribute to Mickey Katz. Ben Liebert is an actor, director, and business coach, based in New York City.  He played Motl in Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish and Boq in Wicked on Broadway and has directed such shows as Into the Woods and the Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged).  He is a proud member of Actors' Equity Association and associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Society. Ben gives us a breakdown on the life of Mickey Katz, from his musicianship, his yiddish parodies, and why his music is so important today. Later, Ben reflects on his time as a cast member in Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish, and discusses his time as a director during the COVID19 pandemic.