Luba Kadison
Born(1906-12-13)13 December 1906
Died4 May 2006(2006-05-04) (aged 99)
OccupationActress
SpouseJoseph Buloff

Luba Kadison Buloff (December 13, 1906 – May 4, 2006) was a Lithuanian Jewish actress, active for decades in Yiddish theatre, in both Europe and the United States.

Early life

Luba Kadison was born in Kovno, Lithuania. She moved with her family to Vilna during World War I, and then to Warsaw while she was still in her teens. Her father, Leib Kadison, was a co-founder of the Vilna Troupe.[1] From a young age, Luba Kadison was playing juvenile roles with the Vilna Troupe, and moved into female leads as she grew.[2] While attending a drama school (her only formal education), she played a small role in the 1920 premiere of S. Ansky's The Dybbuk.[1]

Career

With the Vilna Troupe, Luba Kadison played the bride (the female lead) in The Dybbuk, and starred in Ossip Dimov's Yoshke Muzicant (directed by her future husband Joseph Buloff). Yoshke Muzicant was a major success in Bucharest, drawing the attention of Maurice Schwartz;[1] Kadison and Buloff moved to the United States in 1927, both to work with Schwartz at the Yiddish Art Theater in New York City. Both were fixtures in the Yiddish theatre scene in New York for many years after they arrived. They performed in South American tours in 1933[3] and 1940.[4] She played the wife in a 1951 Yiddish adaptation of Death of a Salesman.[1][5] In 1954, she had a leading role in the Yiddish musical Wish Me Luck![6]

In 1962, Luba Kadison and Helen Waren adapted three stories by Anton Chekhov for English performance.[7] In 1970 Kadison adapted Singer's The Brothers Ashkenazi, for a production starring and directed by her husband Joseph Buloff. The New York Times reviewer judged her adaptation pleasing, saying "Miss Kadison's Yiddish lines are flavorsome and supple."[8] Luba Buloff also worked as a translator, and taught acting.[2]

In 1992, her memoirs written with Joseph Buloff, On Stage, Off Stage, was published.[9][10]

Ikh Hob Dikh Tsu Fil Lib

Alexander Olshanetsky and Luba Kadison on the sheet music cover

Amidst the 1933–34 season, Luba Kadison achieved remarkable success, marking it as one of her most distinguished years. The premiere of Der Katerinshtshik (The Organ-grinder) by Alexander Olshanetsky unfolded on the illustrious stage of the Second Avenue Theater in New York. Notably, in this production, Kadison shared the stage with renowned performers Julius Natanson and Annie Thomashefsky (Boris Thomashefsky's sister).

A pivotal moment in Kadison's career emerged as she took on the role of the first performer of the iconic song penned by Chaim Towber, "Ikh Hob Dikh Tsu Fil Lib" ("I Love You So Much").[11] Her rendition garnered acclaim for its "taste and restraint," setting it apart from other productions at the Theater on Second Avenue. In the subsequent years, this song achieved widespread popularity among Jewish artists, transcending its initial theatrical context.[12] Its recognition expanded beyond the confines of the Jewish community, becoming a cherished piece in the broader cultural landscape.[13][14][15]

Personal life

Luba Kadison married fellow actor Joseph Buloff by 1925, in Bucharest. They had a daughter, Barbara. Kadison was widowed when Joseph Buloff died in 1985.[16] Luba Kadison died in 2006, a few months before her 100th birthday.[9] She was the last survivor from the Vilna Troupe.[17]

The papers of Joseph Buloff and Luba Kadison are archived at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, in New York City.[18]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 O'Brien, Caraid (Fall 2002). "Luba Kadison". Pakn Treger. Amherst, Massachsetts: Yiddish Book Center (86): 27.
  2. 1 2 Dennis Hevesi, "Luba Kadison, 99, an Actress in Yiddish Theatre's Heyday". New York Times (May 9, 2006): B7.
  3. ↑ "Buloff Welcomed Back: He and Wife Greeted by Large Audience After Tour" (article preview only; subscription required). New York Times (May 18, 1933): 17. "After a ten-month tour of South America, Joseph Buloff and his wife, Luba Kadison, well-known Yiddish actors, were welcomed back last night at the Second Avenue Theatre ..."
  4. ↑ W. S., "Buloff-Kadison Recital: Yiddish Stage Folk Welcomed Back from South America" (article preview only; subscription required). New York Times (May 27, 1940): 25. "After their long stay in South America, Joseph Buloff and Luba Kadison were welcomed back by a capacity audience last night in their recital at the Barbizon-Plaza Theatre."
  5. ↑ "Luba Kadison, 99; Last Survivor of Noted Yiddish Theater Troupe" Los Angeles Times (May 12, 2006).
  6. ↑ L. F. "Theatre: Yiddish Play: 'Wish Me Luck!' Opens at the Second Avenue" (article preview only; subscription required). New York Times (November 1, 1954): 37. "All the performances are in the proper key. Luba Kadison, as the wife, has a chance for emotional displays ..."
  7. ↑ Louis Calta, "Buloff Will Star in Chekhov Plays" (article preview only; subscription required). New York Times (January 23, 1962): 32.
  8. ↑ Thomas Lask, "Theatre: Yiddish Drama: 'Brothers Ashkenazi' Is Staged by Folksbiene" (article preview only; subscription required). New York Times (November 17, 1970): 53.
  9. 1 2 Julia Pascal, "Luba Kadison" The Guardian (May 18, 2006).
  10. ↑ Luba Kadison and Joseph Buloff with Irving Genn, On Stage, Off Stage: Memories of a Lifetime in the Yiddish Theatre. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Library, 1992. ISBN 9780674637269.
  11. ↑ "Chaim Towber [Toyber, Tauber] (1901–1972)". Yiddish Music Universe. March 17, 2023. Retrieved 2023-12-27.
  12. ↑ Levin, Neil W. "I Love You Too Much. Volume 13: Great songs of the American Yiddish stage". Milken Archive. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  13. ↑ "СТАРАЯ ПЕСНЯ О ЛЮБВИ НА ИДИШ -"ИХ ХОБ ДИХ ЦУ ФИЛ ЛИБ"" (in Russian). May 16, 2018. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  14. ↑ Rypens, Arnold (January 13, 2007). "IKH HOB DIKH TSUFIL LIB". The Originals. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  15. ↑ "I Love You Much Too Much". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved December 19, 2023.
  16. ↑ Bevya Rosten, "In Short: Nonfiction: They Opened in Vilna". New York Times (April 25, 1993): BR20.
  17. ↑ Caraid O'Brien, "Luba Kadison Buloff, 99, Last Survivor of Yiddish Theater Company". Forward (May 12, 2006).
  18. ↑ Guide to the Papers of Joseph Buloff (1899-1985) and Luba Kadison (1906-2006), RG 1146, YIVO Institute for Jewish Research, Center for Jewish History.
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