By DORIS RUBENSTEIN
Sisters Sonya and Barbra Berlovitz have been important parts of the Twin Cities theatre and arts scene for decades. Barbra was a co-founder of the Emmy Award-winning Theatre de la Jeune Lune, noted for its cutting-edge productions of plays old and new.
Sonya has lent her talents as a costume and set designer across various artistic disciplines from classics from A to Z, literally: classic shows at the American Repertory Theatre to avant-garde works of choreography with the Zenon Dance Company have all showcased her talents.
But the sisters are not particularly identified with Jewish theater. And the Open Eye Theatre in Minneapolis, where they will appear soon, is not especially noted for Jewish-themed productions.
With their new collaborative theater production, Familie, the Berlovitz sisters are stepping into new territory. And not a moment too soon. There’s a third Berlovitz who has contributed to the show: their 98-year-old mom Jennie Berlovitz. The three not only collaborated on the script, but all three are performing in the play.
The show is a semi-autobiographical, 45-minutes-long performance presented in vignettes about life’s stages and relationships through dance, song, vaudeville, text and projections. The Berlovitzes drew on family stories and myths, starting with the upside-down immigration story of Grandma Sophie Folling, a middle-class German Jewish immigrant, who leaves a comfortable Twin Cities home in the early twentieth century to follow her new husband, Hyman Haskevitz, to his dream farm in North Dakota.
Sonya admits, however, that her real inspiration for the play is her mother, Jennie Berlovitz. “Nobody makes me laugh like her! She’s always had a sharp mind and wit.” But, Sonya adds, “I would not have gone on to my design career had it not been for her creative sewing.”
It was this expressive talent that garnered Sonya a McKnight Theatre Artists Fellowship about a decade ago. The funding allowed her to stretch beyond her comfort zone into an entirely new part of the creative theatre experience: playwrighting.
“I’d always written — essays, diaries, etc., “she explains. “But it was always a personal thing and not really for public consumption.”
The show’s name, Familie, honors Grandma Sophie Haskovitz’s Prussian roots and is the German word for family. It also touches on the playwright’s interest in her family history, and her personal research into her DNA. Memories from her personal papers and interviews with Jennie gave the show its internal structure: The play takes a humorous approach to the foibles of the mother-daughter and the sister-sister relationships told from the writer’s point of view, looking at the different stages of life.
Writing is one thing. Why did she choose to have her own family as the actors?
“I think we need more women on the stage,” she says. “Who better to bring this story to life than those who lived it?”
While both Berlovitz sisters have distinguished themselves behind the scenes and off the boards, they are no strangers to acting. In particular, Barbra has served as an adjunct professor in Theater Arts courses at the University of Minnesota, Macalester and Augsburg. Not to be outdone by her sister Sonya, Barbra has also received a McKnight Fellowship, among other awards.
Mother Jennie must be schepping naches from such talented daughters!
And yet, there’s more: The playwright couldn’t leave her design experience behind in this production, which showcases her talents in set, costume and property design as well. What’s left? An intrinsic part of the show is the choreography by Laurie Van Wieren.
So, what’s your preference? Jeune Lune nostalgia? Jewish humor and history? Supporting local theater? Dance? It seems that Familie has it all. The Open Eye theater space is a small one, so getting tickets in advance might be a good idea. Especially if you bring your family with you!
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Familie plays June 14 – 17 at the Open Eye Figure Theatre, 506 E. 24th St., Minneapolis. For information visit openeyetheatre.org.
(American Jewish World, 6.1.18)
