Reviewed
by Judy Richter
In many ways, the story of America is the story of immigrants. Wave after wave of them have come to the United States, some seeking refuge from oppression, war or disaster in their native lands, all seeking to make a better life for themselves and their families. Unless our ancestors were here when the first explorers arrived several centuries ago, we all can trace our roots back to immigrants.
One
such American who has traced his roots is playwright/actor Mark Harelik, whose Jewish grandfather
immigrated to the tiny town of Hamilton, Texas, in 1909, and later was joined
by his grandmother. Harelik details his grandparents' experiences in "The
Immigrant,"
a 1985 work being staged by San Jose Repertory Theatre. Bay Area theatergoers may
recall that Harelik starred in the 1988 production by American Conservatory
Theater, where
he was a member of the acting company.
Haskell
Harelik arrived in Hamilton in 1909 as part of the Galveston Movement, or
Galveston Plan, an effort conceived by leading Jewish Americans to divert
Eastern European Jews to the American heartland to take some of the pressure
off Eastern cities, especially New York. Consequently, thousands of Jews
fleeing the pogroms arrived in the United States via Galveston, Texas, between
1907 and 1914.
As
the play opens, the newly arrived Haskell (Adam Richman) is wearily pushing a
wheelbarrow full of bananas, which he sells door to door for a penny apiece. He
knows virtually no English, but somehow he and housewife Ima Perry (Nancy
Carlin) manage
to communicate. Ima, who is a devout Baptist, and her husband, the churchless
Milton (Dan Hiatt),
the town banker, allow Haskell to stay in a spare room in their house. When
they see how hard he works, Milton lends him money to buy a horse-drawn cart
and sell a variety of produce. Eventually, Haskell opens a dry goods store in
town. In the meantime, he has saved enough money to send for his wife, Leah (Anney
Giobbe). The Hareliks
soon have a house of their own and fill it with three sons.
While
the play is about the Hareliks' assimilation in a town where they're not only
foreigners but also the only Jews, it's also about the Perrys and their efforts
to understand and help them. In the process, they all learn from each other
despite some bumps along the road. One of the most touching scenes occurs at
the start of the second act as Leah, pregnant with her first son and terribly
homesick, helps Ima in the kitchen. As they peel and chop vegetables, they talk
and realize that some of their superstitions and the way they do things are
very similar. In the process, they become closer.
Another
memorable scene finds the Perrys joining the Hareliks for a Sabbath dinner in
1939. The conversation becomes heated as the men begin talking about events in
Europe. Milton feels that it's a European conflict and that the United States
should stay out. Haskell says Hitler's atrocities are too terrible for the
United States to ignore. This argument leads to a rift that remains for several
years, until Haskell seeks reconciliation shortly before the now-enfeebled
Milton's death. Milton remains silent, seemingly unbending, until Haskell gives
up and starts to leave. "Goodbye," Milton says -- one word that
erases all the bitter feelings.
Such
scenes give the play its power as director John McCluggage and his excellent cast bring
these characters to life. Scott Weldin's simple set lends a sense of place and time,
aided by Michael Palumbo's lighting, B Modern's costumes and Steve Schoenbeck's sound. It's an intimate, often
humorous, ultimately moving play that speaks eloquently to the American
immigrant experience.
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