Golda's Balcony
The fourth Prime Minister of Israel was as tough as she was idealistic. William Gibson's interlaced script refuses to flatter Golda Meir, whom David Ben-Gurion called "the best man in the government." She devoted her life to survival but, during the 1973 Yom Kippur war, had the means to start World War III. Gibson hits his theme, about creation vs. destruction, so hard it threatens to turn his portrait into a thesis play. But Tovah Feldshuh subsumes issues into her masterful performance. She breathes Meir, leaping from one stage of her life to another like a jazz improviser. She does the same with the fickle moods of scenes: she reflects, bemoans, explodes with breathtaking speed. The late Craig Noel valued "simple" acting (i.e. no "acting" at all). Noel would have cherished this performance. Feldshuh does such clean, splendid work, it's tempting to give her the Technique Test: pull back from the story and watch how she crafts the character. But she's so in the moment, she yanks you right back in. You forget technique and watch, to my mind, one of the two finest solo performances - along with Jefferson Mays in I Am My Own Wife - San Diego has seen in decades.
Critic's Pick.
When
Ongoing until Sunday, May 30, 2010
Hours
| Sundays, 2pm & 7pm |
| Tuesdays, 7pm |
| Wednesdays, 7pm |
| Thursdays, 8pm |
| Fridays, 8pm |
| Saturdays, 2pm & 8pm |