Sholom Aleichem, aka the Yiddish Mark Twain
“No matter how bad things get, you got to go on living, even if it kills you.”
– Sholom Aleichem
The Holocaust Memorial & Tolerance Center of Nassau County concluded its 2020 Yiddish Culture Series with a virtual performance , Shalom Sholom!!, which marked the 125th anniversary of the first appearance in print of Sholom Aleichem’s most celebrated character, Tevye the Dairyman.
Shalom Sholom!! is a one-man performance, conceived and performed by Bob Spiotto, about Sholom Aleichem, aka the Yiddish Mark Twain, the Yiddish author and playwright best known for his stories about Tevye the Dairyman that became the basis for “Fiddler on the Roof.” The performance will include a mixture of music, singing, and monologues to capture the world that Sholom Aleichem knew in Pre-WWI Europe and Manhattan’s Lower East Side.
This program was funded in part by Humanities New York .
Bob Spiotto as Sholom Aleichem in Shalom Sholom!! (photo courtesy of Lauren Buscemi)
Robert “Bob” Spiotto is a creative/artistic/management professional who has worked in arts and entertainment for more than 30 years. He holds a B.F.A. in Theater Performance from Hofstra University and a M.F.A. in Directing from The Catholic University of America. Mr. Spiotto was most recently the Director of Programs/Special Events at New York’s Friar’s Club. Previously, he served as the first Executive/Artistic Director of the historic Suffolk Theater (theater/restaurant/bar), preior to which he worked at Hofstra University (1990-2012) as Executive Producer/Artistic Director for Hofstra Entertainment; Artistic Director of Community Arts Programs for the Hofstra Cultural Center (music, theater, cultural, original programming), and Director/Producer of Special Events (festivals, conferences, public programs). He served on the faculty of Hofstra’s School of Continuing Education, taught classes for Hofstra’s Summer Camps, and was an adjunct professor in their School of Communication as well as Hofstra’s New College. Mr. Spiotto has received awards from Hofstra University for his distinguished service and teaching accomplishments.
In addition to his many accomplishments, he has directed hundreds of theater productions at various regional and professional theaters, schools, and universities, as well as for various organizations and companies. He has created and appeared in numerous one-man shows exploring the lives of P.T. Barnum, Giuseppe Garibaldi, Primo Levi, Michaelangelo and others. A trio of his critically acclaimed one-man musical tributes include That’s Amore: A Tribute to Mr. Hollywood Musical - Harry Warren, Shades of Grey: A Musical Tribute to Joel Grey, and Courting the Jester: A Salute to Danny Kaye, were re-worked and presented at Lincoln Center.
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