Acclaimed conductor Michael Tilson Thomas has many stories to tell in <em>The Thomashefskys</em>, none of them about classical music. In his multi-media production for PBS\' Great Performances series (out April 24 on DVD), Thomas conducts an orchestra to be sure, and even plays piano, but the focus is on his grandparents, legendary figures in the early years of Yiddish theater in America. The format is engaging, with Thomas\' storytelling wrapped around costumed reenactments and music derived from century old stage productions. His grandparents, Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky, were fresh in the New World from the shtetls of the Ukraine when bitten by the theater bug. Thomas\' tale of immigrant success is delivered with smiles and laughter, yet in the sleek, stadium-seating of the venue, Miami\'s New World Center, the sawdust and limelight of the Thomashefskys\' milieu can only be imagined. Here\'s hoping someone (Stephen Spielberg?) will direct a feature film on the Yiddish theater, which had a great and under-acknowledged influence on American popular culture.
