Three Hotzmach
Text: Itzik Manger
Hebrew translation: Y. Shabtai
1978 – Cameri Theater (director: Shmuel Bunim)
2002 – Yoram Levinstein Acting School (director: Albert Cohen)
From the program-booklet of the Yoram Levinstein Acting School:
The play is a loose adaptation of The Witch by Avraham Goldfaden, the greatest Jewish classicist of all times. The story is a fable about a Jewish Witch from a small town in the diaspora who gives a poor Jewish beggar named Rabi Avrahamchi a magic melody that can turn a pauper into a rich man. On his way he meets Hotzmach, a typical misfortunate Jew (all the characters of the musical are actually typical misfortunate Jews, in the amusing sense of the term!). With Manger, the Hotzmach turns into three poor and misfortunate Hotzmachs, who fight over bread and dress for their three daughters. Itzik Manger's intention was probably to say to the audience, "All the Jewish people are, in effect, all Hotzmachs; we all run around and hurry and barely make a living…"
