‘Immigrant’ a touching tale of possibilities
I have fond memories of a 1996 Asolo Repertory Theatre production of Mark Harelik’s warm-hearted and moving drama “The Immigrant,” but amid the fierce debate about border security and illegal immigration, the play has an even more powerful impact today in a new staging that closes the Sarasota Jewish Theatre’s fourth season
The play puts a human face to the stories of millions of people who come to this country seeking a better life and an escape from violence and torture. This is the story of Harelik’s grandfather, Haskell, who arrived in the early 20th century and built a family and business in the unlikeliest of places. But like so many others he had a fierce determination to succeed while struggling to communicate in a new language; battling ethnic, racial and religious hatred; and trying to become part of a larger community.
Haskell Harelik emigrated from Russia and wound up in the small town of Hamilton, Texas, where he began selling bananas in a pushcart from house to house for a penny. He slowly built a business among local residents who looked on this stranger with pity and worry and a touch of encouragement.
He found refuge with the banker Milton Perry and his wife, Ima, who didn’t really understand him but appreciated Haskell’s work ethic. Milton arranged a bank loan so Haskell could stop pushing his cart by hand and open a shop that grew into a major department store.
Haskell also saved his money to bring his wife, Leah, from Russia and, eventually, they had three children.
It is all beautifully told in Gus Kaikkonen’s production, which touches your heart with finely nuanced performances from a four-member cast who capture the constantly shifting attitudes, awkwardness and more that develops over the decades.
Michael Raver is particularly endearing as Haskell, who is first seen dirty and exhausted, pushing his cart onto the Perry’s property, struggling with his Yiddish to ask for a bit of water. He makes you root for him from the start as he deals with fear, anxiousness, desperation and optimism. His Haskell is a born salesman.
Chris Caswell as Milton and Vickie Daignault as the lovely Ima don’t know what to make of this dirty stranger who shows up in their front yard one day, speaking Yiddish, a language they’ve never heard. He is a foreigner and a Jew, a real alien in a world of Baptists and other Christian denominations.
Both actors are conscious of the period. It is fun to watch Caswell as Milton tolerates Ima’s interest in Haskell (as he does her church activities), but then the banker gets excited about how he might help him. Daignault, in her third Sarasota performance this season, is radiant and moving as Ima. You can see and feel all the things she’s holding in, afraid to say for fear of embarrassing her husband or herself, and how she so subtly encourages the friendship with Haskell and Leah even after a dispute threatens it.
As Leah, Noah Friedman is sweet, a bit naive and unexpectedly fierce as she watches Haskell shed some of his religious traditions in an effort to assimilate. She stands by him but also challenges Haskell.
Kaikkonen sets a wonderful pace and flow to the production while his cast makes you care about the characters and feel things in ways I’ve rarely experienced this theater season.
It is such a touching story, more so because it is based on real people. And while Haskell legally came to the country more than a century ago, his story speaks to all those lining up hoping to start realizing their own dreams. It is a thorny issue, but there are thousands of other Haskells out there from all over the world hoping for their chance.
Follow Jay Handelman on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Contact him at jay.handelman@heraldtribune.com.
And please support local journalism by subscribing to the Herald-Tribune.