Summary

The action is continuous – the Bagelman Sisters keep singing, and Asch keeps typing. Stage directions indicate that the Bagelman Sisters are played by the same two female actors who played Dorothee and Reina/Victoria, as well as the women in the “Rain Scene.”

A new scene and title – “1939: Nakhmen Rehearses.” Nakhmen, one of the men at the very first reading of Asch’s play, rehearses his French prior to a meeting with an ambassador.

A new scene and title – “The Arrarat Theatre Troupe, Krakowa Street.” One of the Bagelman sisters sings in Yiddish.

A new scene and title – “The French Embassy in Poland.” The other Bagelman sister sings as Nakhmen approaches someone at the Embassy (who is not actually seen) and asks if he speaks English. As the conversation continues, Nakhmen presents himself somewhat resentfully as an established writer, one who knows Sholem...