Theatre in Review: On the Other Side of the River (New Worlds Theatre Project/HERE)

New Worlds Theatre Project is devoted to reclaiming works from the Yiddish theatre and presenting them in English. It’s a fascinating, laudable mission and if its stated goal — “to see these plays produced on mainstream stages across the globe alongside translations of Chekhov, Ibsen, and others for generations to come” — seems a tad ambitious, well, why not? For all we know, there may be dozens of lost gems waiting to be brought to light. However, this interesting company, which has been around since 2005, is not putting its best foot forward with its current production. On the Other Side of the River is by Peretz Hirshbein, who was known as the “Yiddish Maeterlinck.” This means you can expect plenty of mood and abundant symbols as opposed to psychological realism or a well-constructed plot. Fair enough, but if this murky exercise in life-and-death abstractions is typical of Hirshbein’s work, it may just as well be left on the shelf. On the Other Side of the River begins with the elderly Menashe and his granddaughter, Mir’l, whose rustic home is threatened by rising waters from the nearby river. Mir’l’s mother died giving birth, and the girl is protected by a magic amulet. The flood carries them away and Menashe dies, but Mir’l is saved by a mysterious stranger who apparently drags her back to life by pulling her away from Menashe’s corpse and warming her with his embrace. Later, we see Mir’l with her grandmother, Yakhne. The young woman is so desperate to break away and find the stranger again that she tosses the amulet and throws herself into the river.