A SCENE SHIFTER _Mr. Jack Hill_ DOCTOR O’SHAUGHNESSY _Mr. Tony Kennedy_ THE JAZZ SINGER _SYNOPSIS OF SCENES_ ACT I—_The home of the Cantor on the East Side. The_ 14_th of August, afternoon._ ACT II SCENE 1—_About a month later. Back-stage at the Fulton Theatre, New York._ SCENE 2—_A few minutes later. Jack’s dressing room._ ACT III—_Same as Act I. A few hours later._ ACT ONE SCENE: _It is the flat of Cantor Rabinowitz in the heart of the East Side of New York. We see a rather large living room with a curious mixture of furniture and crockery. The Cantor lives in better style than most of his neighbors. The furniture is massive, elaborate, of fine wood, the kind of furniture a wealthy Jew in Russia would be likely to have. Everywhere there are shelves loaded with bric-a-brac—china, glassware and silver._ _There are two windows through which can be seen the stained glass windows of the synagogue next door. There is a phonograph, a sideboard, a settee, a bookcase, a Morris chair. On the wall are pictures, including one of an old-fashioned Russian Jew, one of the Cantor, one cheap chromo showing some kittens, and the framed citizen papers of the Cantor._ AT RISE: _Before the curtain rises we hear a boyish treble sweetly singing an old Hebrew cantor tune. As the curtain rises, we see little Moey and the Cantor seated at the table. The Cantor is a lean man of medium height. He has a neatly trimmed, grayish beard and is wearing a skull-cap. His face is wrinkled, gentle, austere. He is a holy man among a humane people—and all which that implies. He knows the ways of kindliness, but the spirit in him is stern with following the God of Vengeance for sixty years._ MOEY _is singing._ CANTOR [_Stops him_]. No, no, no! Didn’t I tell you how you should sing it? Sing it with a sigh. Do you understand, my child? With a sigh! You are praying to God. Nu, try it again. [MOEY _tries again, and again is stopped by_ CANTOR.] No—do you understand what it means, them words you are singing? What does “Vaanee Sefeelosee” mean? MOEY It means, “I, my prayer.” CANTOR And what means “Lecho Adoshem”? MOEY That means, “To you, O God.” CANTOR Good! And what does it mean, “Ais Rutzon Elohim”? MOEY “When you are ready, O God.” CANTOR That’s right. You’re a smart boy, Moey. Now what does it mean “Berov Chasdecho Aneni Be-emes Yishecho”? MOEY [_Hesitates_]. I don’t know what that means. CANTOR