Whether the course of history can truly be changed by one revolutionary soul or is the culmination of the work of many, interspersed with circumstantial and deliberately orchestrated political happenings has been a prickly philosophical debate for at least the better part of the last century. However, it is hard to deny the spotlight to extraordinary individuals who put themselves out there and make such a tangible and palpable difference, that they help slide the balance scale (or at least make it teeter) toward the former position in the debate as opposed to the latter. Golda Meir is unquestionably one such remarkable individual. As Prime Minister of Israel from 1969 to 1974, she navigated the tensest of political waters with strength, smarts, dignity, and now in the stellar surroundings of the Segal Centre, as an extension of the longest running one-woman show in Broadway history, she shares her journey from the comfort of her Tel Aviv balcony.
Just Golda and everyone fortunate enough to be in attendance, Israel’s only female Prime Minister brought to life again in William Gibson’s ideological stage soliloquy Golda’s Balcony at a most fortuitous time considering the international political zeitgeist – and with the unwavering passion of brilliant character actress and Broadway legend, as well as Tony Award-nominated Best Actress four times over in assorted variations – Tovah Feldshuh at the helm. Feldshuh, who has delighted us on the stage and the small and large screens for four decades strong and counting, from the acclaimed 1970s miniseries The Holocaust to perennial favourite Law & Order to current megahit The Walking Dead, in addition to hilarious television musical vehicle Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Feldshuh doesn’t just bring critically acclaimed acting instincts to the role; she seems to have her real-life heart tied up in the role as well. Taking on a one-person show is no easy feat for any actor, yet the masters of their craft make it look easy, and Feldshuh has been impressing in this role on and off for fifteen years now. It is hers, and she knows just how to drop jaws, elicit smiles, and sometimes draw tears.
Political issues in the region of the world in which she governed continue to be contentious, to put it mildly, and Feldshuh herself dropped the proverbial fourth wall at the end to personally deliver a message of hope that the work first taken on by political heavyweights like the indomitably spirited Meir will not be in vain. That peace is possible and that we need to work together to achieve it. Tovah as Golda is a bundle of frenetic energy and irrepressible talent, and when she reverts to Tovah at the end – after one is through laughing, shedding a tear, smiling, and pondering, one cannot help but wonder if Golda Meir herself isn’t somehow looking in upon this incredible production – not only indelibly impressed and proud – but reassured that hope indeed does spring eternal.
Golda Meir had one of the toughest jobs anyone could ever want, yet she was a modest, though seriously determined, individual. She eschewed a lot of the comforts a position like that affords an elite individual, including living in a special residence for elected leaders; staying true to her political ideals and authentic personal values was of utmost importance. Tovah Feldshuh delivers Meir to audiences as the worthwhile powerhouse curtain closer for another incredible season of theatre at the Segal Centre like few others could or would even dare to try. From the late, great Prime Minister’s turn-of-the-20th-century roots in Kiev and the small Russian village where she began life, to the Knesset floor in Israel, Meir was an undeniably powerful part of world history, and hearing her stories and inner thoughts through Feldshuh’s iconic performance, there is much the present and the future has to take from it as well.
Take it all in until June 10th, when Golda’s balcony door closes.
Visit segalcentre.org for more information or call the box office at (514) 739-7944
