''Golda's Balcony'' is a play by

William Gibson William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as ''cyberpunk''. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, hi ...

. It follows the trajectory of the life of

Golda Meir Golda Meir, ; ar, جولدا مائير, Jūldā Māʾīr., group=nb (born Golda Mabovitch; 3 May 1898 – 8 December 1978) was an Israeli politician, teacher, and '' kibbutznikit'' who served as the fourth prime minister of Israel from 1969 to ...

from

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

n immigrant to American

schoolteacher A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

to a leader of international

politics Politics (from , ) is the set of activities that are associated with making decisions in groups, or other forms of power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of resources or status. The branch of social science that stud ...

as the fourth

Prime Minister of Israel The prime minister of Israel ( he, רֹאשׁ הַמֶּמְשָׁלָה, Rosh HaMemshala, Head of the Government, Hebrew acronym: he2, רה״מ; ar, رئيس الحكومة, ''Ra'īs al-Ḥukūma'') is the head of government and chief exec ...

. Much of its focus is on the period surrounding the 1973

Yom Kippur War The Yom Kippur War, also known as the Ramadan War, the October War, the 1973 Arab–Israeli War, or the Fourth Arab–Israeli War, was an armed conflict fought from October 6 to 25, 1973 between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by E ...

, when Israel was attacked by

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...

and Syria. Gibson's drama suggests Meir threatened

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and

Henry Kissinger Henry Alfred Kissinger (; ; born Heinz Alfred Kissinger, May 27, 1923) is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presid ...

with the launch of nuclear weapons against her enemies, conceivably starting

World War III World War III or the Third World War, often abbreviated as WWIII or WW3, are names given to a hypothetical worldwide large-scale military conflict subsequent to World War I and World War II. The term has been in use since at ...

, unless the U.S. came to her country's aid. Gibson first explored Meir in 1977 in his multi-character work ''Golda'', which was produced on

Broadway Broadway may refer to: Theatre * Broadway Theatre (disambiguation) * Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S. ** Broadway (Manhattan), the street **Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...

with

Anne Bancroft Anne Bancroft (born Anna Maria Louisa Italiano; September 17, 1931 – June 6, 2005) was an American actress. Respected for her acting prowess and versatility, Bancroft received an Academy Award, three BAFTA Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two ...

in the title role. Never fully satisfied with the piece, he decided to tackle the subject matter, this time in the form of a one-woman play. ''Golda's Balcony'', produced by

David Fishelson David J. Fishelson (born July 24, 1956) is an American producer, playwright, and director for film, theatre, television and radio, based in Manhattan since 1982. He is best known for being the lead producer of '' Golda's Balcony'', the longest-r ...

, opened Off-Broadway at Manhattan Ensemble Theatre ("MET") on March 26, 2003, where it sold out its entire 16-week run. Three months after closing Off-Broadway, the MET production, also starring

Tovah Feldshuh Terri Sue "Tovah" Feldshuh (born December 27, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and playwright. She has been a Broadway star for more than four decades, earning four Tony Award nominations. She has also received two Emmy Award nominations f ...

and produced by Fishelson (directed by Scott Schwartz), opened on October 15, 2003 at the

Helen Hayes Theatre The Hayes Theater (formerly the Little Theatre, New York Times Hall, Winthrop Ames Theatre, and Helen Hayes Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 240 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Named for actres ...

, where it ran for 14 previews and 493 performances, making it the longest-running one-woman show in Broadway history. Feldshuh was nominated for the

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ce ...

for Best Actress in a Play and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance. In 2006 the play was adapted into a film of the same title, starring Valerie Harper. In 2019 a 4-camera shoot of the play, starring

was made into a film called '' Golda's Balcony, The Film (2019)'' for

film festival A film festival is an organized, extended presentation of films in one or more cinemas or screening venues, usually in a single city or region. Increasingly, film festivals show some films outdoors. Films may be of recent date and, depending upo ...

exhibition only. By April 2019, this new film was in 24 announced

s in the United States.“Golda’s Balcony, The Longest-Running One-Woman Show in Broadway History Is Now a Film ”
''Golda's Balcony, The Film (2019)'' website. Retrieved January 25, 2019. The term "Golda's Balcony" refers to the nickname given to an area inside the secretive Dimona nuclear weapons facility from which visiting

VIP A very important person or personage (VIP or V.I.P.) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to their high social status, influence or importance. The term was not common until sometime after World War 2 by RAF pilots. Examples inc ...

s can observe some of the activity taking place in the underground portion of the facility.

References

External links

2019 FILM VERSION WEBSITE

Internet Movie Database listing

Internet Broadway Database listing

Internet Off-Broadway Database listing

{{DEFAULTSORT:Goldas Balcony 2003 plays Plays by William Gibson (playwright) Broadway plays Plays for one performer Plays set in the 1970s Monodrama Biographical plays about politicians Israel in fiction American plays adapted into films Cultural depictions of Golda Meir