Reviewed by Judy Richter
"The Chosen," which Chaim Potok and Aaron Posner have adapted from Potok's novel, is a play with
several themes. Chief among them are the ties of friendship, the conflicts and
bonds between fathers and sons, and attempts to find the truths in one's religion.
All of this takes place in the Williamsburg section of Brooklyn between 1944
and 1948.
The story is
told by Reuven Malter (Michael Navarra), who is now an adult and looking back on those times when he was a
teenager, an Orthodox Jew who was a pretty good baseball pitcher. Young Reuven
(Jonathan Bock) meets Danny
Saunders (Thomas Gorrebeeck),
a Hasidic Jew, at a baseball game between their respective schools. Danny comes
across as pompous and cocky at first, but he and Reuven begin a friendship when
they discover their mutual love of books and learning.
It's small
wonder that they have a scholarly bent. Reuven's father, David (Rolf Saxon), is a college professor and Talmudic scholar.
Danny's father, Reb (Corey Fischer),
is a noted Hasidic leader and Talmudic scholar in his own right. Both fathers
are widowers, but David is warm and loving, while Reb values silence as a
child-rearing method.
Both fathers
have laid out their sons' career paths, but Danny especially has other ideas.
Reb has been grooming him as his sixth-generation successor and has chosen his
bride, but Danny wants to become a psychologist but remain an observant Jew.
Reuven was planning to become a college math professor, but he decides to
become a rabbi. All of this takes place as World War II winds down, President
Roosevelt dies, and the extent of the Holocaust becomes known, deeply affecting
both households.
Directed by Aaron
Davidman, the five-man cast
excels. However, the scene where Fischer's Reb is preaching to his flock seems
slow and long. Giulio Cesare Perrone's set, featuring two book-lined rooms on either side of the stage to
represent the two households, is enhanced by Chad Bonaker's projections and Steven B. Mannshardt's lighting, as well as Cliff Caruthers' sound. The costumes are by B. Modern.
Even though
the play is essentially about Jewish people, its themes are so universal that
anyone can enjoy and appreciate it.
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