President's Day Weekend. In past years, this weekend has marked my re-emergence from the cold wrap of winter, where I finally get to leave this town and take another long drag on the big city. This year was different in that I had already made two trips to Seattle in January, so President's Day Weekend was to serve more as a respite from the daily life and a chance to just sigh.
I saw the promotional flyer for "The Chosen" staged at the Seattle Repertory Theater, and I was not immediately engaged. I know that the book is in our school curriculum, though it's not one I am assigned to teach. I own a copy and even started reading it once, only to be distracted and leave it unfinished. But I felt like it would be an enjoyable experience to see this stage version this weekend.
I am glad I did.
The staging was excellent -- from the sets and props to the lighting and movements. This show was worth all $27 I paid (and even grabbed a fantastic seat that hed been turned in just before curtain). It's the tale of two boys from different sides of the same coin -- different worlds just five blocks away -- has so much relevance today. It's the story of a father who wants so much for his son to learn compassion for people's pain that he barely speaks to the son in order to make his son look inside to his own soul. It's the story of a boy who thinks he wants a world that is defined by logic and numbers but comes to love scripture and the ability to help people.
The second act was emotionally moving and powerful. Although "The Chosen" was adapted for the stage from a novel, its author, Chaim Potok, was a partner in that adaptation. I imagine he would have been pleased with the version on stage at Seattle Rep. I am reminded that this is the power of drama. Drama can convey messages with sound and expression; drama is a live art form that, when it is good, can lift a spirit, can capture a moment, can inspire an audience.
What a pleasant discovery I had in "The Chosen." I am glad that my plans and my stage in life allowed me to appreciate this beautiful piece of literature in all its complexities and intricacies.
My first and only other Seattle Rep experience was "Take Me Out" last autumn, and it was also spectacular. I could find myself spending a lot more time there if this is the quality I can expect.
-- Wenatchee, Wash.
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4 comments:
WHOOO! YEAH!
Go Chaim Potok!
I don't know about the play, but the book was kind of boring.
Personally, yeah, what's the dilio with the dad talking through his son's bf to actually talk to his son. I think that's pretty wack, diggy diggy dogg. Answer me homes, I'm here in the hizzle.
After reading "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok, I learned a great deal about myself, my values, and my culture. The novel showed the importance of respect for different religions. People should be more like Reuven and Danny, who are close friends despite vastly different beliefs. That is not to say that people must accept the beliefs of others as thier own; rather, they need to learn to deal with people of different faiths in a more respectful fashion.
Potok shows the importance of family throughout the novel. Reuven has a loving father who helps him to get through all of the difficult circumstances that he faces. Reuven can’t imagine life without his father; when his father has his second heart attack, Reuven “…lived in a nightmare of hallucinatory dread” (228). In the same way, I can’t imagine life without my family. I would have no one to support me, no one to take care of me, no one to motivate me to succeed. I could not possibly be the same person without my family.
The Chosen also demonstrates how segregated we are as a culture based on race and religion. True, legal segregation ended long ago, but it certainly exists in our society today. In the novel, segregation exists between the Hasidic and non-Hasidic students at Hirsch College; the students interact exclusively with others of the same beliefs.
Silence is at times a blessing and at other times a curse. For many people, it is essential for proper concentration; I, for one, cannot work in a noisy environment. Silence is also crucial for relaxation and sleep because an escape from noise truly refreshes the mind. In certain situations, however, silence conveys a sense of foreboding or dread. For example, the silence between two people in conflict is excruciating. Reuven experiences such silence in The Chosen; he says that the silence between himself and Danny was “ugly, it was black, it leered, it was cancerous, it was death. I hated it, and I hated Reb Saunders for forcing it upon me and his son” (220). While in some forms it causes unbearable suffering, silence is ironically an essential element of life.
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