Friday To-Do: 'Golda's Balcony'
‘GOLDA'S BALCONY'
7:30 p.m., Weekend Theater. $10-$14.
The critically lauded and award-winning one-woman drama “Golda's Balcony” tells of the life and times of one of the 20th century's towering figures: Golda Meir, the 75-year-old Russian-born, Milwaukee-raised prime minister of Israel. The action swirls around the Yom Kippur War, the nearly month-long conflict in October 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states lead by Egypt and Syria. During the war, Meir very nearly initiated a nuclear holocaust. Bombs were loaded on planes awaiting her signal to take off when Kissinger and Nixon placated Israel with additional aircraft to defend itself. There's obviously a lot of drama implicit in that history, but William Gibson's play (he also wrote “The Miracle Worker”) doesn't linger too long on the war. Instead, it flashes back to other, earlier significant moments in Meir's life — her journey from Russia to Milwaukee; her development into a socialist Zionist; her immigration to Palestine; the breakup of her marriage; her rise to power in Israel. Samantha Porter stars and artistic director Ralph Hyman helms the production. Unlike most Weekend Theater performances, the show runs only through Saturday.
