Russian immigrants

on the stage

The "Morning Star" was written by Sylvia Regan and premiered on April 16, 1940. The current production at the Missouri Repertory Theatre is its third. The plot is about Jewish immigrants from Russia who came at the dawn of the 20th century and lived in the Lower East Side of New York. They came with the dream to make a decent living or even to become rich. Most of them did it; some did not. But, almost all their children lived much better than their parents. Many of them found that in the hunt for money they lost something more important: love, family relations, or even the purpose of life.

In the beginning they worked very hard at sweatshops of the garment industry. In exchange for sixty-six hours of arduous work, seamstresses earned less than $5 a week. Life in sweatshops was miserable.

The main character of the play, Becky Felderman, came to America with four children: three daughters and a son. She came with a strong will to give her children a better life here. She came with love and respect for America and the desire to do everything that she can as a citizen. Her son voluntary went to fight for America in World War I and never came back. Her youngest daughter lost her life in a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory (an event which really took place in 1911).

Witty humor penetrates almost all scene of the play, while some scenes are very tragic. Actors are so realistic that sometimes you forget where you are and consider the actors as real people.

While the play is very interesting by itself, it gives a very good idea about the life of immigrants. At first glance, it is just a history separated from us by about hundred years. But those years changed the Lover East Side very little. Now there are Hispanics, African-Americans, and Chinese, as well as Indians, Koreans and Filipinos. Many of them work for the garment industry. Modern day corporations, like garment industry factory owners of the past, avoid compliance with labor laws. The Lower East Side was always inhabited by semi-literate immigrants. However, even immigrants from the former Soviet Union with college degrees, who came to America in the last two decades, had a hard time during their first years in America. If you would see them working in Hy-Vee or at other stores, there is a good chance that you would talk with a former engineer, a medical doctor, or a teacher. Engineers with Master's degrees work many years as draftsmen before they have a chance to get entry-level engineering positions.