Carefully and lovingly edited ...The scholarship is impeccable, and the contributors all serious scholars.' S. Gittleman, Choice 'One the book's best attributes is the ability of its contributors to place their subjects within larger European contexts ...the calibre of the contributions is high, demonstrating the degree to which Yiddish theatre is attracting the attention of serious scholars ... the book] succeeds not only in its goal of presenting some of the most important new scholarship on Yiddish theatre, but more importantly in helping to bring the study of this integral component of...

While Yiddish theater is best known as popular entertainment, it has been shaped by its creators responses to changing social and political conditions. Inventing the Modern Yiddish Stage: Essays in Drama, Performance, and Show Business showcases the diversity of modern Yiddish theater by focusing on the relentless and far-ranging capacity of its performers, producers, critics, and audiences for self-invention. Editors Joel Berkowitz and Barbara Henry have assembled essays from leading scholars that trace the roots of modern Yiddish drama and performance in nineteenth-century Eastern Europe...