Chosen on the stage
THE Australian premiere of The Chosen – a story of family, faith and friendship adapted from Chaim Potok’s famous novel – is being staged at Shalom College, UNSW from August 27.
Directed by Moira Blumenthal, the play is set against the backdrop of postwar America and the establishment of the State of Israel.
“It is a challenging piece of theatre and is so relevant today, portraying five intriguing men including a young genius, a fervent Chassidic rabbi and a passionate Zionist,” she says.
“The themes are universal – whatever your politics or religion, you sometimes have to make choices opposed to your upbringing.
“This is a play about the rites of passage for two families. It has a successful track record and has a fabulous story.”
This production is being staged by Blumenthal’s company, Moira Blumenthal Productions, in conjunction with Shalom College.
“Putting on the play makes it more daunting, even though it’s one of the most Jewish plays that I have ever dealt with,” says the producer who has been staging plays in South Africa and Australia since the 1990s.
“And the play itself is written in an unusual fashion, with the main character, Reuben, looking back on his life, so the script has a young Reuben and an older Reuben.”
The cast has only one Jewish actor, Daniel Mitchell, son of veteran Jewish actor Warren Mitchell of Till Death Us Do Part fame, who plays a Chassidic rabbi. Also in the cast are Maeloisa Stafford, Barry French, Anthony Darvall and Gabriel McCarthy.
The story is set around two boys who learn important lessons about themselves and their fathers as they grow up. The stage version of The Chosen was adapted by Aaron Posner with help from the author.
“It is the only play that Chaim Potok was involved in the adaptation,” says Blumenthal. “The book was written in the 1960s whereas the play was adapted in the 1990s, and follows the book except for the opening and the closing, which is Potok adding his perspective on the story.”
Blumenthal believes that The Chosen will also appeal to non-Jewish audiences.
“The play is very relevant to today’s news about the Middle East as it deals with Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel.”
Blumenthal was born in South Africa and worked at the Rosebank Theatre in Johannesburg from 1992-94. Although she migrated to Australia in 1996, she has maintained a strong connection with the country of her birth.
“I’ve done a lot of work in South Africa and go back there almost every year to work on productions, and have brought some shows back to Australia to stage,” she says.
The Chosen is at Shalom College, UNSW, Barker Street Kensington from August 27 to September 14. Bookings: www.encounters.edu.au.
REPORT by Danny Gocs
PHOTO of Daniel Mitchell (left) and Gabriel McCarthy in The Chosen.
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