Picture a dinner party with Katherine Hepburn, Tallulah Bankhead
and Golda Meir. It’s interesting to imagine their
conversation, and Tovah Feldshuh probably has a keen sense of what
the evening would be like.
In her acting career, Feldshuh has portrayed each of these
historical figures, and most recently brings former Israeli Prime
Minister Meir to life in her one-woman show, “Golda’s
Balcony,” at the Wadsworth Theatre in Brentwood.
When Feldshuh accepts the challenge of depicting real people,
this three-time Tony-nominated actress does not simply act like
them, she does everything in her power to become them.
“I’m in the transformational art form where the
actor disappears. You take on their needs, their wants, their
speech patterns, before your own. You take on their life,”
Feldshuh said.
Feldshuh was not seeking out “Golda’s Balcony”
when a friend insisted she check out the play that chronicles
Meir’s life, from her childhood in Russia to a distinct
moment of crisis as the prime minister of Israel.
The actress, who has portrayed memorable Jewish matriarchs in
“Kissing Jessica Stein” and “A Walk on the
Moon,” noted, “I said, “˜Another Jewish mother,
what a stretch.’
“But it wasn’t just any mother, it was the mother of
a state. There were three great prime ministers ““ Ghandi,
Margaret Thatcher and Golda Meir ““ and I wasn’t being
offered the other two, I was offered “˜Golda’s
Balcony.'”
Becoming Golda meant researching everything about her. Feldshuh
analyzed speech patterns and footage of Meir ““ and the 38
other characters she recreates in the play ““ and visited
Meir’s homes in Milwaukee and Denver before further studies
in Israel. There, she was accompanied by Yves Gérard
Issembert, who directed the documentary, “The Journey to
“˜Golda’s Balcony.'”
“(The play’s) about Golda taking on the greatest
crisis of her life, while I’m taking on the greatest role of
my career, trying to transmit her message, which is basically that
Israel had a right to exist and a right to live in peace,”
Feldshuh said.
After its debut at the Manhattan Off Broadway theater,
“Golda’s Balcony” moved to Broadway, running at
the Helen Hays Theater from October 2003 through January 2005,
making it the longest-running one-woman play in Broadway
history.
A one-woman show is only as strong as its lead, and perhaps this
play works because it embodies Feldshuh’s interests.
Starring in one-woman shows like this and “Tovah: Out of
Her Mind!” give Feldshuh the flexibility to be with her
children, which she considers her most important job.
“The most profound contribution any man can make on this
earth is to bring up a child, so they contribute to the principle
of Tikkun Olam, to heal the world,” Feldshuh said.
In an industry that is not conducive to child rearing, Feldshuh
says she makes her family her first priority. After acting as
Israel’s mother on stage, Feldshuh is committed to leaving
Broadway every night to be with her children.
“You have to love your children unconditionally and show
up, and give those children all of that love and care,” said
Feldshuh about balancing work and motherhood. “To have
quality time, you have to have quantity time.”
Feldshuh’s passion for understanding extends beyond her
family, to Israel. She believes in this play because it is crucial
for everyone to know about Meir’s life work.
“She walked the walk,” Feldshuh said. “She was
a utopian socialist; she flew coach, did her own laundry in hotels,
and refused to flaunt her position.”