Theater
Jewish audiences in Łódź attended theatrical performances in the Polish, German, and Yiddish languages. At the beginning of the century, Yiddish-language dramas, operettas, and even operas were performed by local and visiting artists in Sellin’s Grand Theater, and, later, on the Filharmonia stage and in the Scala Theater at Cegielniana Street. Yiddish repertory ranged from Goldfaden’s Shulamit to Verdi’s Aida; from An-ski’s Der Dibbuk to Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
Cabaret and vaudeville performances were especially popular with the less affluent audiences. Such lowbrow entertainment was found in eateries and at the ubiquitous dance clubs. Since the earliest presentations of moving pictures appeared within vaudeville acts and traveling exhibits, cinemas continued to serve as venues for revue entertainment. In Bałuty, such performances in Yiddish and Polish were common: in 1909, films presented in the Flora and Kassandra cinemas were part of variety shows. Both theaters (under new ownership and names) continued to double as theater venues during the interwar period
The irreverent stepchild of theater, cabaret attracted some of the most talented artists in Łódź. The short-lived cabaret Bi-Ba-Bo featured texts by the young Julian Tuwim and Konrad Tom, and stage-sets and costume designs by Artur Szyk; among the works performed by the legendary Ararat Theater were those of its director, the poet Moshe Broderson. The favorites of local audiences were Bolesław Norski-Nożyca and the duo Dżigan and Szumacher. The humorous works that these performers presented addressed topics particularly close to the hearts of Bałuty residents: commentaries on social conditions and cultural transformations. There were also satires on the leaders who posed the greatest threat to the Jews: Mussolini, Stalin, and Hitler.
