The Tenth Man: A Comedy-drama in Three ActsIn an old meeting room now used as a temple, a rabbi and various Jews meet for prayer on a winter day. They are not all devout; one is a comic atheist who says he only comes to the temple to keep warm and another is a young agnostic lawyer who has made a mess of his life and whom analysis is keeping from brink of suicide. One of the ten men who come this day brings his granddaughter who is in a trance. He believes she is possessed by a dybbuk; some of the others think she is just plain crazy. She glides from periods of lucidity into absolute irrationality and then into trance. During saner moments, she and the young agnostic are attracted to one another. The rabbi, convinced she has a dybbuk, arranges an exorcism. At the culmination of the ritual, it is the dybbuk of the young man that is exorcised, the one that has prevented him from loving anyone. -- Samuel French. |
Common terms and phrases
ALPER Amen ARTHUR begins believe Blessed body Brown CABALIST chair closed coat comes CONGREGATION course dance dear desk don't dybbuk Evelyn exorcism eyes face father feel fellow floor FOREMAN front door GIRL girl's give goes grey hand happened HARRIS head hear Hirschman insane Jews KESSLER BOYS Korpotchniker leave Left Listen looks Lord matter minutes moment morning moves night nods opens peace phylacteries police POLICEMAN possessed prayer praying quickly RABBI rabbi's office regard rest rises SCHLISSEL SEXTON shawl sits slowly soul Stage stands stares steps street stripe suddenly sure synagogue talking tell Thee thing Thou thought Torah train turns unto voice walk wall whole wife wine wonder young ZITORSKY