BRATTLEBORO — Stephanie Bass Abrams, founder and artistic director of Kinetic Theory Theatre, always had a fascination with vaudeville and burlesque.
“I feel like the past has a history that continues if you keep it alive,” she said.
As a performer and producer of circus shows, Abrams said she “always snuck in Jewish comedy, Yiddish comedy, very Borscht Belt style.”
Her new show is aimed at creating a whole tribute to the Borscht Belt variety shows that took place at vacation destinations in the Catskills area of upstate New York. “A Bissel Borscht Belt” will debut at the Vermont Jazz Center, 72 Cotton Mill Hill, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 27, with a suggested donation of $5 to $10.
Since moving to the local community, Abrams became involved with the Brattleboro Area Jewish Community. A former rabbi suggested she seek a grant to put on a show.
BAJC invites community members to give what Abrams called “very informal TED talks.” Invited to speak, she said, she did “a very short talk” then launched into “some vaudeville schtick.”
“I was like, This could be a show,” she said.
Abrams learned about the Yiddish Book Center grant for arts and culture initiatives and applied for one. Hers was selected among 30 organizations.
Abrams, an award-winning mime and director, will be joined onstage by her husband Patrick Branstetter, formerly of Blue Man Group; internationally acclaimed hand-balancer and contortionist Fleeky Flanco of Greensboro; The Flying Lin-Bianco Brothers, and the renowned Western Massachusetts-based band Klezmer Kapelye featuring Rachel Leader on violin, Ariel Shapiro on accordion and Ozzy Gold-Shapiro on vocals and ukulele.
Morning Glorious Vintage in downtown Brattleboro collaborated with Abrams, helping to curate costumes for the show. Discounts were offered for the clothing.
Altogether, the show is about an hour. Then the band will play another 30-minute set in which the audience is encouraged to stay and dance.
Abrams said the production includes a variety of comedy, tap dancing, juggling and some acrobatics.
“It is a very interactive experience,” she said. “The traditional vaudeville experience is kind of a dialogue with the audience.”
For the show, Abrams researched vaudeville in the 1950s and early 1960s, what she considers the peak of the Borscht Belt era. She said the entertainment is about “this light hearted family fun.”
“The comedy that developed in the Borscht Belt during that time really shaped what is modern American standup,” she said.
She called the music “super fun” and costuming “great.”
Nothing in the show is about religion or politics, Abrams said.
“That’s why I call it a new, old fashioned vaudeville,” she said. “It’s vintage style, not vintage values.”
Abrams said the Vermont Jazz Center allows for more of an interactive space. A dance floor area will be cleared.
“I think it’s the best music and performance venue in town,” Abrams said. “Since they care so much about the quality of music, I knew we could present the music and the band in a way that is fantastic and is really going to show that component of the art form.”
With support from Jewish Communities of Vermont, the hope is to take the show on the road and perform it at other venues around the state.
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‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.reformer.com ’
