Acting out a scene from "Rags" are (from left to right) Doug Leverich, Elizabeth Torczyner and Jim VanOver.
By Tim Persyn
For Saratoga High School's spring production, drama instructor Danielle Igra wanted a play with substance that would provide a powerful experience for her student actors. She chose Rags, a musical that focuses on the experience of Eastern European immigrants struggling to build a life in America during the early 20th century.
The story of Rags resonated not only with Igra, whose family immigrated to Australia and then to the United States after the Holocaust, but also with members of the cast, who recognized their family histories in the experiences of the play's characters.
Ari Rossen, who plays the idealistic but naive Ben, was able to grasp the substance of Rags because of his awareness of his family's story. His grandparents came to the United States from the Soviet Union; his grandmother was born in Odessa, Ukraine. His experience with Rags has enhanced his perspective of immigrants, he said.
"I realized how hard it is to get over here and to escape the home country," Rossen said. "It isn't as easy as we think. We don't know until we put ourselves in their shoes."
To prepare for the play, Igra had her student actors interview actual immigrants, as well as listen to history teachers lecture on the historical context of the play. In addition, Igra staged a simulation of the immigrant experience on Ellis Island, complete with holding cells, uncooperative guards and bribe money.
Through this sort of preparation, Jim VanOver, who plays the union organizer Saul, was better able understand the obstacles faced by people like the characters in Rags.
"It gave me a better sense of what I was up against," he said. "I learned that immigrants held together and succeeded under amazing odds."
Brian Luskey, who plays the single father Avram, saw a personal connection between how he portrayed his character and how he perceived his family's experiences. His great-grandfather went through Ellis Island.
"I'm playing my ancestors," Luskey said. "I try to reflect my great-grandfather as much as I can. I don't want to portray a cliché Yiddish man, but I want to bring out as much Jewish heritage as I can."
Working on the play has also enhanced Luskey's view of history. "It has helped my knowledge of the early 1900s. I've learned about the oppression that women and Jewish people experienced."
Igra hopes the audience will walk away from the play with an enriched view of America and its past. "The play will allow the audience to further understand this historical era, and it will give them a greater understanding of the richness of American culture," she said. "They can also take a second look at how we treat immigrants in the United States."
But watching the SHS production of Rags isn't all strictly educational. "I want the audience to have fun," Igra said. "The music is beautiful; it includes Yiddish, ragtime and Irish ballads."
Rags is based on a book by Joseph Stein. The music was composed by Charles Strouse, and the lyrics were written by Stephen Schwartz.
Show dates for Rags are March 21, 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. in the Prentiss Brown Auditorium, Los Gatos High School, 20 High School Ct., Los Gatos. Tickets are $8 reserved and $6 general admission. For tickets, call 867-1280 or 867-4311, ext. 203.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, March 13, 1996.
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