Theater in The Rough, Shakespeare in Jerusalem

Last night night I joined many at the performance by Theater in The Rough of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. It was fantastic despite the heat. Actually they started it at 6pm, a half hour later than usual, for the comfort of the actors and audience. 

The location is the Blumfield Park, which is "under" King David Street, closer to the Yemin Moshe end. The scenes are in a few nearby parts of the park, each a short walk from each other. Most people bring folding chairs, stools or blankets for sitting, though you can rent a very comfortable folding chair for only NS30, which I did. There are still more opportunities to see the play: 

Julius Caesar: in motion – August 8-24, 2023

There is no required ticket price, though NS40 is recommended, and they're grateful for any donation, more or less.

Here are a few photos I took at last night's performance. Public transportation and parking are nearby.

לפרטים נוספים – For more information 052-559-4257 [email protected]

"Corona" Theater, Free "The Diary of Anne Frank"

Yesterday I sat at my computer and watched to most amazing reading of  The Diary of Anne Frank. It was by the Park Square Theatre. Viewable online, only though May 15. Free. go to www.parksquaretheatre.org and see what they offer.

Obviously the actors were all in their own homes, and you can sometimes see them glancing at the scripts. The only "props" were the yellow stars, the book/diary and occasionally a coat.

The performance was amazing. I highly recommend watching. I remember reading the book way back when I was a young girl in the 1950s. And in 1977, before we returned from our two year shlichut, job as Zionist Youth emissaries in London I spent a few days in Amsterdam (with our then toddler) and visited the Anne Frank Museum. Besides that, I'm not an expert in Holocaust lore. This version of the play can be used by teachers, but hurry before it's no longer available for free.

THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK
A special presentation created by artists in isolationAvailable for streaming through May 15, 2020  By Frances Goodrich and Albert Hackett

Directed by Ellen Fenster

It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world as slowly being transformed into a wilderness, I hear that approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I hear the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better.”— Anne Frank

Hamlet in Motion, Hurry, Just 2 More Performances

Last night I had an amazingly enjoyable evening watching, or following, Hamlet in the Bloomfield Park behind the King David Hotel, Jerusalem. It was this year's production of Shakespeare in the Rough. This amateur theater group is wonderful, and the actors seemed to have as much fun as the audience. I was really impressed by the amount of young children in the audience, and they were enjoying themselves.

Hurry to see the play, as there are just two more performances. It's free, though a donation would be appreciated. 5:30 pm Bloomfield Park, today and tomorrow; follow the fun.

See The Old Movie Instead

Last night my husband and I went to the Jerusalem Theater to see a play.

It really is a lovely building. We were in the small theater, where we've been before. The play was an Israeli original, Samson, based on the biblical/historical novel by Ze'ev Jabotinsky. Besides having just recently studied the Biblical story/text with my Al Haperek group, decades ago I read the Jabotinsky book and saw the movie. I had good memories of both.

But I just didn't enjoy the play. It was much too much stylized Greek Theatre. The lighting, bright on black, made it hard to watch, and the booming faux "biblical" voices turned me off. I had trouble following the dialog, too.

We were sitting in the second row of the tiny theater, which was awfully overheated. One of the chief stage props was dust, and a couple of people in the audience had constant coughing fits. I was relieved that I hadn't joined them, but my throat hurt terribly throughout the play.

So, if you're curious about Jabotinsky's Samson and Delilah, I suggest googling for the movie on youtube.

The best thing about the evening was that we had gone out to dinner at Gingi Steakhouse in the Hadar Mall.