In the Williamsburg
neighborhood in Brooklyn
in the 1940s, two young Jewish males meet with hostility at a local baseball
game. Due to an accident they become unlikely friends.
Their fathers, one Hasidic
the other Orthodox, represent two opposing value systems. We witness the
complicated relationship between parents and their children, and how fathers who
care can both dominate and inspire their sons.
This deeply moving drama
is based on the 1967 novel by Chaim Potok. It was adapted by Potok and Aaron Posner into a stage play that
has had many reincarnations. This one, directed sensitively by Simon Levy, is
as fresh and meaningful as today’s headlines.
The story begins in 1944
when the protagonists are fifteen years old. It’s set against historical events:
the death of President Roosevelt, the end of World War II, the revelation of the Holocaust in Europe, and the struggle for
the creation of the state of Israel.
Sam Mandel, as Reuven, is so likeable you understand why the stern Rebbe (Alan Blumenfeld) accepts
him into his home. Dor Gvirtsman, as Danny, is touching as the emotionally
guarded acolyte, while Jonathan Arkin, as activist/philosopher, brings clarity to the questions that haunt both young men.
DeAnne Millais’ set design,
of two households with book-lined studies side-by-side, helped to emphasis the
underlying contradictions that exist in their worlds.
At the Fountain Theatre, 5060
Fountain Ave. LA (at
Normandie), through March.
Tickets (323) 663-1525 or www.FountainTheatre.com. Parking $5.
Photos by Ed Krieger.
Also in the March issue of NOT BORN YESTERDAY.
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