OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY at Curio Theatre Company until May 11th. L. to R.= Jack Taylor as Chaim, Paul Harrold as The Wanderer and Alana Kopelove as Chaya. Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas.
By Ellen Wilson Dilks
“AS YEARS PASSED OTHER FAMILIES FROM OTHER FAR-OFF LANDS/BEGAN TO CROSS THE OCEAN AND TO WASH UPON THE SAND/THE FLEDGELINGS AND THEIR NEIGHBOURS FELT THEMSELVES TO BE AS ONE/AND SCARCELY COULD IDENTIFY WITH NEWBIRDS ON THE RUN.”
West Philly’s Curio Theatre Company closes out their 19th season with Canadian playwright Hannah Moscovitch’s tale of love between two immigrants, OLD STOCK: A Refugee Love Story. This tragio-comic story, interwoven with Klezmer music, features songs by Ben Caplan and Christian Barry. It is the story of Moscovitch’s own great-grandparents. Set in 1908 Nova Scotia, it relates the experiences of Chaim and Chaya as they escaped persecution and death in Romania, and came to a new country for a better life—where they meet. Both have been severely traumatized by the horrors of the pogroms (Chaim’s family is slaughtered) and the long walk out of Romania and across Russia (Chaya loses her first husband along the way). The two meet in Halifax and try to start anew, hoping to heal the brokenness of their recent past. OLD STOCK deals with those early struggles and triumphs with great sensitivity and humor.
Incorporated into the tale is a pastiche of Klezmer music—an instrumental tradition of the Central and Eastern European Ashkenazi Jews. The genre dates back to at least the 16th century and became popular throughout Yiddish-speaking Eastern Europe. It did not become commonly known in the US until the lat 18th/early 20th century when Jews started emigrating to this country and Canada. Ben Caplan and Christian Barry have written original songs in the style that serve as “punctuation,” of sorts to Moscovitch’s family history.
OLD STOCK: A REFUGEE LOVE STORY at Curio Theatre Company until May 11th. L. to R.= Paul Harrold as The Wanderer and Alana Kopelove as Chaya. Photo by Rebecca Gudelunas.
The simplicity, yet elegance, of the set is the work of the greatly under appreciated Paul Kuhn. The audience is on three sides of the playing space, and are greeted by a very large wooden shipping crate marked “Halifax, Nova Scotia” in the familiar stenciled lettering. Sitting on the floor several feet in front of the crate is an accordion. As the action starts, the front of the crate lowers to reveal the Klezmer musicians. Entrances are sometimes made through the back of this piece, and props are often pulled from the structure as well. Siobhan Frigge Ehresmann’s lighting design creates the appropriate moods as needed, and puts the focus on the assorted areas of the playing space. Serving as sound designer and music director, Damien Figueras supports the story perfectly and really helps present the musical moments perfectly. And Aetna Gallagher provides great costuming and props.
Director Rachel Gluck has chosen her cast well. And her affinity for the material is exceedingly apparent. She gives the 87-minute piece lots of breathing room to allow the various moments to land and be digested by the audience. Our guide through the story is The Wanderer, played with great charisma by Paul Harrold. A talented musician (he plays guitar, accordion and keyboards throughout), Harrold instantly commands the space, pulling us into the story with a unique mix of Goth darkness and witty charm. It is a delight to watch. Jack Taylor is suitably gawky 19-year-old in Chaim’s early scenes, bringing us all back to those first moments with someone we hope will become our “person” in life. Then Taylor quietly portrays Chaim’s growth as a man supporting his family. Equaling him is Alana Kopelove as the vulnerable Chaya. Kopelove is soft, tough, broken and strong all at once as she shows us Chaya’s journey so far—a most painful one for sure. All three of these performers do amazing work under the gentle hand of Ms. Gluck
Supporting these three are musicians Evan Raines, Noah Barr, Allen Green and Gabriel Rosario. Though quite young, they bring the full flavor of Klezmer to life for the audience.
“Give Me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…”
Ms. Gluck comments in her director’s note on the timeliness of OLD STOCK: A Refugee Love Story—and not just because of the current situations in Ukraine and Gaza. She hopes that as we watch this story of outcasts seeking acceptance and a better life, who take the risk to go to a foreign place and start over, that we also see the people walking for weeks across Central America and Mexico to escape the dangers and death of a cruel regime.
Sadly, each new group of immigrants who came to this country had to suffer their time as “the others,” and struggled to be accepted. They Anglicized their surnames, (like my Irish grandfather) they got rid of their accents, they abandoned traditions from their homelands. All in the hopes of finding acceptance and freedoms in this land. The only ones who couldn’t eventually “blend in” were the slaves—and they didn’t come her voluntarily. Not to mention the true natives that were basically shoved out of their birthrights.
And now we have a resurgence of hatred for those that are not “WASPs.” We’ve taken huge strides backwards in recent years. This is where theatre serves as a reminder of what humanity is capable of—good and bad. Of what we could be if we truly tried.
WHEN YOU GO: OLD STOCK: A Refugee Love Story through May 11th at the Calvary Center for Culture and Community at 4740 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia 19143. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8pm, with A 2pm matinee on Saturday, May 4th. Visit www.curiotheatre.org Or call the Box Office at 215-921-8243 for further information. There is parking throughout the neighborhood—some metered, and an assortment of pubs and eateries nearby. Inquire at the Box Office regarding handicapped options, as the playing space is on the lower floor.
NOTE: On May 10, 2024 following the 8PM performance = A Post Show Discussion with Jonathan Grode, the U.S. Practice Director and Managing Partner for Green and Spiegel here in Philadelphia. Jonathan has been a panelist and moderator on immigration law topics for numerous organizations, including the American Bar Association, Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce, French Chamber for Commerce and Industry (Paris, France), and the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He also writes regularly for industry publications and academic journals. In addition, Jonathan is an Adjunct Faculty at Temple University’s Beasley School of Law where he teaches Business Immigration Law, Advising Global Corporations, and Law Practice Management. In 2020, Jonathan Grode was named Adjunct Faculty of the Year by Temple University.