Meredith, Shiyan and I saw a sold-out performance of SF company Traveling Jewish Theater‘s 2 x Malamud: The Jewbird & The Magic Barrel at the Mountain View Performing Arts Center last night. Malamud was done in the style of the Word For Word Performing Arts Company, with every line of the story dramatized and spoken. It was beautiful.

I love Malamud’s writing, but I loved the enlarged, stylized acting of the cast even more. It all made me proud to be a Jew in the theater world. The stories are problematic, allegorical. They don’t present political hyperbole. They’re simply stories of people, trying to live.

Saltzman, around the corner, chanted prayers for the dead.

TJT’s executive director was present, and she spent much of the intermission answering questions from audience members. It’s really great to see a full house, and to see them so engaged in the art.

Amazing how the Jewbird character evokes the stereotype so perfectly – migratory, traveling, at death’s door, raggedy, dirty, smelling of fish, educated but also slightly snobby – sick – kind, but something of a user. Not beautiful. But very, very proud.

Malamud closes this weekend.