Re: Thomashevsky

[TTova <TTova...>]

Sorry to answer in brief, but I am under the gun today with other projects...

Michael told me many stories including how his grandmother Bessie met Boris.... As a young girl she used to sew for ladies of the theatre and instead of payment on occasion she was given a ticket to see a show.

One day she arrived to see a show starring the most flamboyant and flirtatious young woman... bessie was enthralled. she had never seen such a femme fatal before... she went backstage to thank the girls and was introduced to the star of the show.
it was BORIS Thomashevsky in drag!
They fell in love and Bessie soon followed him on his travels.... It seems the stories of drink were true as well... Bessie began going on in the lead role when Boris would be "otherwise detained".
In fact  Michael says his grandmother readily admitted Boris taught her everything she knew about how to PLAY a woman.
and she remained a fiesty, Yiddish MAY WEST type right until the end...

he paints a picture of his aging grandmother as a voluptuous red head bedecked in bangles.... Bessie responded to critics of her salty shows by saying  "my audiences wouldn't accept me without a little "shmutz"

That is why I love her songs so much... they truly are those of the liberated emancipated woman ... not of romanticized shtetl life.

MTT tells stories of the elite of NY visiting their home... of fierce competition on stage and off between the two huge STARS.... gunshots back stage, and another of his uncle being kidnapped for ransom money and murdered.... hence his father moved the family to Los Angeles and  changed  their name to THOMAS
Micahel says he used to do routines with his grandmother in their living room while gershwin or some other notable would watch
All in all a pretty fabulous legacy...

and the orchestrations are  genius!

Theresa Tova
http://www.theresatova.com







On Nov 24, 2003, at 9:54 AM, Lori M Simon wrote:

> Would you share some of the stories with us, please?
> Lorele
>
> On Sun, 23 Nov 2003 22:04:58 -0500 TTova <TTova (at) rogers(dot)com> writes:
> > I worked with Michael Tilson Thomas in San Francisco premiering his 
> > grandmother bessie' Thomashevsky's songs. We premiered three of them 
> >
> > with a 17 piece orchestra giving much attention to the original 
> > orchestrations...
> > The stories Michael told of his grandparents were earthy, randy,  
> > hair 
> > raising and outrageous....
> > what a legacy...
> > I believe Michael is  in the preplanning of a movie about their 
> > lives...
> >
> >
> >
> > On Nov 23, 2003, at 4:53 PM, Trudi Goodman wrote:
> >
> > > Translates just fine.
> > >
> > > A rumor in the Yiddish Theatre was that Thomashevsky had so many 
> > > illegitimate children that they could form a fan club. Usually his 
> >
> > > current mistress(and often their child/children) would sit in one 
> > of 
> > > the front row seats of any house he was in.
> > >
> > > P.S. Michael Tilson Thomas...the conductor is his grandson.
> > >
> > > Trudi
> > >
> > > > From: Lori M Simon
> > > > Reply-To: jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org
> > > > To: World music from a Jewish slant
> > > > Subject: Thomashevsky
> > > > Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2003 15:54:16 -0500
> > > >
> > > > Friends,
> > > >
> > > > I thought I'd share this story with you. An older friend of mine, 
> >
> > > Mabel
> > > > Snyder (nee Fenster), grew up in the Yiddish Theater in Cleveland 
> > and
> > > > from time to time tells me stories. Today she shared this gem 
> > with me.
> > > > Boris Thomashevsky was in town doing Grine Felder and little 
> > Mabel was
> > > > sitting in the prompter's box, where she liked to watch from.
> > > > Thomashevsky played a coal miner and in the opening scene he 
> > walked 
> > > down
> > > > into his basement apartment, covered in coal dust, face black, 
> > and
> > > > prepared for himself a glezele tey (glass of tea). Since the 
> > glass 
> > > would
> > > > have been hot, he took a towel and wrapped it around the 
> > glass...and
> > > > wrapped it around the glass, and wrapped it around the glass. He 
> > was
> > > > making such a big deal about the wrapping. Now Mabel's father had 
> >
> > > warned
> > > > her.that Thomashevsky was an alcoholic, like Barrymore, and when 
> > he 
> > > was
> > > > drunk he was magnificent onstage, sometimes improvising great 
> > things,
> > > > improved in artistry, so everyone watched quietly to see what he 
> > would
> > > > do. When nothing was forthcoming but the towel shtik, the house 
> > > started
> > > > whispering and tittering because he had been sitting for such a 
> > long 
> > > time
> > > > doiing the pantomime with the towel. Quietly, to the prompter he 
> > said,
> > > > "Momzer, gib mir a vort!" The first two rows and the orchestra 
> > pit 
> > > heard
> > > > and were hysterical, but the rest of the house had no idea what 
> > was 
> > > going
> > > > on. They just thought here was the great Thomashevsky, hamming it 
> > up
> > > > with a shtick, but really it was the drunk Thomashevsky who had 
> > > forgotten
> > > > his line and said, "Bastard, give me a word!" Dosn't translate as 
> >
> > > well,
> > > > but there ya go.
> > > >
> > > > Lorele
> > > > > www.theresatova.com
>
> ________________________________________________________________
> The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand!
> Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER!
> Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today!
www.theresatova.com