WE went to the show last... Golda's Balcony. I knew it would be a play of course, Bella thought it might be a comedy, I wasn't sure, comedy, drama, musical, who knows? The opening was delayed for a couple minutes but seemed like an eternity.
The sound finally comes up and out on stage comes Golda, portrayed by Francine. An actress that I never heard of before, but has a very long and impressive resume of past performances, Gypsy, Hello Dolly, Fiddler on the Roof, Bus Stop, Mame, Driving Miss Daisy just to name a few of the dozens more.
The award winning Producer/Director Jay Kholos also has quite a list of past productions. Writer of the book, words and music of A Stoop on Orchard Street, directed musicals, My Catskills Summer and The Book Of Esther and others.
When Golda comes on stage, we are treated to a one woman show. She takes you back, as a young 4 year old girl in Czarist Russia, leaving the persecution behind and going to America.
Her parents struggle to get by in Milwaukee, and as a 15 year old, She leaves home to live with her sister in Denver and go to High School.
She learns of Socialism, Zionism and meets the man she will eventually marry in 1917.
In 1921, they go to Palestine and live in a Kibbutz. She tells of the inner struggle between her love of her family and their personal sacrifice for Goldas love of Israel.
The rest of the story tells of Golda going from working in a kitchen in the Kibbutz to becoming the Prime Minister of Israel and dealing with the Yom Kippur War. Dealing with Nixon, Kissinger, and her representative in the states and it's conclusion.
The acting was superb. Francine had you believing that Golda Meir was on the stage. She made you laugh, she made you cry. She made you believe in the words "NEVER AGAIN".
As we were walking out, after the standing ovation for a truly wonderful performance, you could hear the comments, "I never knew that...", "I learned so much about Golda..." "What a fantastic show" and "Riveting..."
It was. It was a shame more people did not see it. Not only was it a great show, it was an education.
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Thanks, Bob, for the review. I missed a good thing. Golda Meir always fascinated me. She seemed like such a plain person, like someone's grandmother, in love with Israel, having lived life as a young person on the kibbutz, and rising to the position of prime minister of Israel. I remember the Yom Kippur War period well, read about it in the newspapers and afterward in books, including a book by Henry Kissinger. The War was a much closer thing than many people realized, and Golda has been criticized since then for trusting Israel's enemies too much. I don't know if the charge is merited or not. I do know she loved her country.
ReplyDeleteNixon was in the throes of Watergate then, beleaguered on every side, and yet to his credit, he with Kissinger remained true to Israel and, under great time pressure, instituted a massive airlift of materiel, which was a major factor in turning the War around. In the '67 War, I remember reading about Moshe Dayan. It looked as though Israel would go down the tubes but didn't, and the fledgling country ended up taking over considerable land. In the '73 War, from what I understand, the situation looked even more dire, but again Israel's enemies—which surrounded the tiny nation—were beaten back and Israel took over the Sinai, the Golan Heights and the Gaza Strip.
Now I need to read a good book about Golda Meir's life.