Home  Added Extras Bagels, latkes and fishcakes
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Bagels, latkes and fishcakes |
 Andrew Wyman sent us a review of Steven Berkoff’s play Sit & Shiver, which was on at The Hackney Empire last year. It brought back memories for him of delicious treats like bagels, latkes and fishcakes.
Set in London's East End, Berkoff's drama draws on recollections of his own Jewish immigrant family. They gather to mourn the loss of a patriarch and, inevitably, the passing of a byegone era. However, an unexpected truth emerges, and they learn that the patriarch had led a secret life. The old days were not quite what they had seemed. Now the present is full of uncertainty and as to the future…who knows? In their confusion, the family turns to the homely comforts of tea, bagels and fishcakes.
Simple universal truths are often hidden from us. Berkoff, an honest humanitarian, allows us to sway to bitter-sweet melodies, to laugh, and to understand these truths with greater clarity. His finely drawn characters were instinctively familiar to me. My guess is they would be to you too. This play is a gem.
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