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Marjorie Gottlieb Wolfe
Syosset, New York
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Mandy Patinkin has starred in film, "televisye" (TV), and Broadway, but his favorite is performing live in "kontsert" (concert). The New York Times called Mandy, "A musical force of nature."
Shown below is a Yiddish Guide to Patinkin:
"bayshtayer" (donation)
Patinkin urges the donation of organs,
especially corneas. "It's just a miracle, a gift
from God." (see "krankayt")
"chutzpah" (nerve)
H. Reich ("Mother Tongue," Chicago Tribune, 4/13/98) wrote, "No
doubt it takes
a certain amount of chutzpah to tackle what
Patinkin calls 'an Everest of a language'
without knowing more than a few words of
it." {This quote referred to Patinkin's
performance in "Mamaloshen."]
"dokter" (doctor)
Patinkin played Dr. Jeffrey Geiger on
"Chicago Hope." In the season finale,
Patinkin is back as the President of the Board of Chicago Hope, as
well as the best
cardio thorasic surgeon ("khirurg") in the country.
"esn" (to eat)--sweets
"Her [mom's] sweets are to die for and they'll kill you. If you
eat them often, you'll be dead before your time, but you'll have a
great time getting there. If you don't like
them, send them to me and I'll eat them. If you don't eat them, I'll
even give you my FedEx number."
Patinkin quote
"finsternish" (darkness)
"Sometimes there have been times in my life where it suddenly
turns to darkness. It's impossible to find the light ("likhtik"),
it's combination of realising life is finite, that every minute of
life is precious ("tayer") and that one must stop wasting
it."
Patinkin quote
"geboryn' (born)
Patinkin was born in Chicago on Nov. 30,
1952, of Russian and Polish descent. He is
the son of Doris "Doralee" Sinton and
Lester Patinkin.
"gevnen" (to win)
Patinkin was awarded a Tony for Best Actor
in a Musical. "Che" in Evita. He won an Emmy for Best Actor
in a TV Drama. "Dr.
Jeffrey Geiger" for Chicago Hope.
"gliklekh" (happy)
In 2009, Patinkin said, "I've never been so
happy. I'm going to my mother's house to
celebrate her 84th birthday, my kids are
grown, my wife is the most wonderful woman on earth. I'm healthy and
right now
I'm performing live from Los Angeles to New Zealand with my dear friend
and former Juillard classmate, Patti LuPone."
"gortn" (garden)
In 1984, Patinkin returned to B'way to play
the role of Archibald Craven in the musical,
"The Secret Garden." It ran for over "zibn
hundert" (700) performances.
"greveyntlekh folk" (common people)
"Because Yiddish is the language of the
common people, everyone can relate to its
nuances and inflections even without
understanding the words."
Patinkin quote
"haymisheh"
Someone who is warm and welcoming; a
homey, unaffected person with whom one is
comfortable.
Patinkin adds a "haymisheh" touch to his shows. He once had the audience stand up and do the "Hokey Pokey" as he crooned the lyrics in Yiddish.
"heylin" (to heal)
"The world is bleeding and it is our job as
citizens of the world to heal people. Never
stop trying. It will get better ("beser").
Patinkin quote
"hunt" (dog)
Patinkin has two black labs, Nando and Taz.
"idee"/"aynfal" (idea)
The idea for "Mamaloshen" came from
producer, Joseph Papp. Papp was like a
second ("tsveyter") father to Patinkin.
"khidesh" (surprise)
"Things have turned out as much a surprise
for me as anybody else. Everything in my
life has been a series of accidents. Planning
or talent ("talant") had nothing to do with
it."
Patinkin quote
"kikh" (kitchen)
When Mandy was growing up, he thought his mother lived in the kitchen.
As he got
"elter" (older), he understood that the kitchen was sher
kingdom, her passion. He credits her with passing on that passion to
him.
"klaider machen dem mentshen" (clothes make the man) Not true! Patinkin typically performs wearing his trademark performing clothes - a black T-shirt, black jeans, and sneakers. "dI frage" (the question): Would he sound any better in a tuxedo?
"klastsimer" (classroom) news
At Juilliard, Patinkin was a classmate of
Kelsey Grammer. When the producers of
"Cheers" were auditioning for the role of
Dr. Frasier Crane, Patinkin put Grammer's
name forward.
"kokhbikher" (cookbooks)
Doralee Patinkin wrote, "Grandma Doralee
Patinkin's Holiday Cookbook in a Jewish
Family's Celebrations." Mandy wrote, "Please try some of
my ma's holiday
treats and share some of my memories."
"krankayt" (disease)
In the mid-'90s, Patinkin was diagnosed with keratoconus, a rare degenerative
disease. His sight was saved by two cornea
transplants. (see "tfile") He said, "The old
way was like looking through a windshield on a stormy night."
"kruk" (hook)
Patinkin said, "but I began singing the song
'Youssel, Youssel' I found it had a hook
like a fishing hook that grabbed your
kishkes (innards) and threw you all over the
room like a big pike being pulled out of the
ocean."
"k'vetsh" (complain)
Patinkin's wife, Kathryn says "He snores and
insists he doesn't." [The Yiddish word meaning to snore is "khropen."]
She also describes her "man" (husband) as profoundly domestic
and guilt ridden. "He has a certain kind of energy that is fabulous
on stage, but is hard to live with."
"Mamaloshen" (Mother Tongue)
(see "muzik")
"meyvin"/"mumkhe" (expert)
When Patinkin began his quest to learn the
songs in "Mamaloshen," he turned to two
"meyvins" in Yiddish culture: Moishe
Rosenfeld and Henry Sapoznik.
"muzik" (music)
The following songs were included in "Mandy Patinkin in Concert:
Mamaloshen":
"Rozhinkes Mit Mandlen"
(Raisins and Almonds)
"Mayn Mirl" (Maria)
"Belz"
"Tsen Kopikes' (Ten Kopeks)
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (OY!
"Danken Got I can type!)
"Papirosin" (Cigarettes)
"Unter Dayne Vayse Shtern"
(Under Your White Stars)
"Hey, Tsigelekh" (Hey, Little Goats)
"Der Alter Tzigayner" (The Old Gypsy)
"Oyfn Pripetshik"
"Lid Fun Titanic (Song of the Titanic)
.......
"nomen" (name)
Mandy Patinkin's real name is Mandel Bruce Patinkin.
"pyane" (piano)
"Mandy Patinkin: Dress Casual" was performed at the Judy
Boyle Theatre at the
Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas. The well known, Paul Ford, played the piano.
"rak" (cancer)
Patinkin was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 2004. He
said, "I urge every man and every woman who loves a man, to
insist that all males over the age of
50 have a PSA test yearly or earlier if there
is prostate cancer in the family. My life was
saved by modern science, and I want everyone to be as lucky ("mazldik")
as I was."
"tfile" (prayer)
Patinkin says a prayer every day for the
"yung" child who died and whose parents
had the fullness of heart ("harts") to donate
his corneas to him.
"tsores"(troubles)
"You get immediate feedback and can
instantly maneuver your act to fit the mood
and tempo of the crowd ("oylem"). I tell
audiences that I jump on stage to get away
from my troubles...and they should come to
see me to get away from theirs." (Note: the Yiddish word meaning
to jump is
"shpringen.")
Patinkin quote
"regn-boygn" (rainbow)
Mandy sang, "Over The Rainbow" in Yiddish.
"shtetl" (small town)
Mandy's family belonged to Rabbi Ralph
Simon's synagogue, Cong. Rodfei Zeidek.
Mandy's wife, Kathryn, said, "It was like a
shtetl."
"sod loshn" (secret language)
"My dad spoke Yiddish whenever he spoke
to my grandma, and it was used as a secret
language in the house when grownups
didn't want me to understand."
Patinkin quote
"tsug" (railroad train)
Mandy is an avid Lionel Train enthusiast.
Just like Dr. Geiger, he loves to play with his
trains.
"zun" (son)
Patinkin, and his wife, Kathryn Grody, have
two sons, Isaac and Gideon.
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