BlackballingTimTebow

  • Subscribe to our RSS feed.
  • Twitter
  • StumbleUpon
  • Reddit
  • Facebook
  • Digg

Wednesday, 14 November 2012

The Talmud of Madoff and Wiesel: Review of a Drama at the Garage Theatre at FDU in Teaneck: Extended to November 18

Posted on 19:12 by Unknown
We recommend that you go see the Madoff Drama at the Garage Theatre at FDU in Teaneck, now extended to November 18.

We saw it, and our instant review is that this is a worthy play and a spirited first-rate production by a polished professional group - and right here in our back yard!

Talmudic Review

There are Talmudic references in the script of "Imagining Madoff." But that is not what makes it a Talmudic play. No, it is Talmudic because it creates a drama of debate and dispute over cosmic issues brought down to earth as a dialogue between metaphoric characters. That is what the Talmud of Babylonia did for Jewish thought 1500 years ago.

This play is not about the real Bernie Madoff who was the greatest financial scammer in history, Nor is it about an Elie Wiesel type of character who represents a loud moral voice in an amoral world.

No this play is a work of Talmudic discourse where the playwright weaves into dialogues and discourses - a variety of dialectics about life. Deb Margolin has given the two main characters names, Madoff and Galkin. And she has created a third important woman character who sits and observes on the sidelines.

Throughout, this play has no real connection to actual persons living or dead. And that may be the case for much of the materials in the actual Talmudic literature as well. (But that is a topic for discussion in the learned world of academic publications.)

The Talmud is a long and engrossing work of literature that takes up numerous issues related to life and to Judaism, to men and to women, to emotions and to ideas, and puts them into the mouths of larger than life rabbinic figures.

And so is this play. Not quite as long as the Talmud, and not as comprehensive. Still playwright Margolin manages to raise penetrating moral, ethical, psychological and philosophical issues within the parameters of a three person drama.

Michael Bias dazzles in his understated and calm portrayal of the Bernard Madoff character, Though we never met the actual man, we imagine that Madoff must have put on a soft and remote persona to attract so much investment. Here Bias plays the busy earthy scheming human archetype, a foil for his lofty universal counterpart.

Thom Molyneaux excels as as that counterpart, the sage Solomon Galkin, with a persistent and learned character portrayal of a Wiesel substitute. We did meet Elie Wiesel and know him to be a masterful listener and a persistent voice of conscience. Molyneaux plays the rabbinic Galkin with such aplomb, we'd swear on a Bible that the actor is Jewish, if not Orthodox, though he is not.

And Mikeala Kafka shines as Madoff's secretary. She represents the perspective of the outsiders, both men and women, who watched as a great cosmic tragedy unfolded as the Madoff crisis unraveled. Here she stands in for the world at large - playing for us a single peripheral character who suffers stinging loss and humiliation when the tragic character falls. Many of us can identify with the perspective of the thoughtful and sensitive sideline casualty that Kafka creates. (And Kafka, what an ironic name for the actor that plays that character!)

Though this is a play mainly of monologues and dialogues, it moved quickly and never lagged or lost me. You'd be foolish to miss it. Hurry and get your tickets.

Go today and buy your tickets here. The Facebook page is here.

Summary from the Garage Theatre:
Our first play of the season is Imagining Madoff by Obie–Award winning playwright Deborah Margolin. It is a provocative, compelling and somewhat controversial piece. When Ms. Margolin sent Elie Wiesel the original version of the script that fictionalizes Wiesel’s real life betrayal by Bernard Madoff, the renowned author wrote back, threatening to take legal action against any production. Margolin revised the script, replacing the Wiesel character with the fictional Solomon Galkin, a poet, synagogue treasurer and translator whose moral bona fides and belief in Madoff's magic at once make for a crackling dramaturgical tension.

But above and beyond anything else, Imagining Madoff concerns itself with the terrible beauty and magnificent danger of absolute faith, either in God or in Men.

Imagining Madoff is a suspense drama crafted from a story that is already known. We share as an audience a sense, even to the end, that we can change what's already past.

It is a moral investigation.

Imagining Madoff is directed by Frank Licato and features Michael Bias as Bernard Madoff, Thom Molyneaux as Solomon Galkin, and Mikeala Kafka as Madoff's secretary.

There will be 12 performances of Imagining Madoff, Oct 25 – Nov 18. Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm, Sundays at 3pm.
Every Thursday is Bergen County Night. If you live or work in Bergen County, tickets are just $20.

At the conclusion of each performance there will be a talk back with the audience. The talk back will include the actors, director and the playwright. By giving our audience, both young and old, this opportunity, we hope to inspire a new generation of theatre goers.

All performances are at the Becton Theatre, 960 River Road on the FDU campus in Teaneck.


Talmudic Books | The Talmud in English | Whence and Wherefore | God's Favorite Prayers
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to XShare to FacebookShare to Pinterest
Posted in madoff, teaneck | No comments
Newer Post Older Post Home

0 comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Popular Posts

  • Thanksgiving Turkey Drumstick Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkin Pie Table Song - A Lone Pumpkin Grew
    Thanksgiving will be upon us soon and we sing traditional holiday songs at our Thanksgiving dinner. Here are the words to one of our favorit...
  • Update on the Insults: A Battle Over a Book: Haym Soloveitchik v. Talya Fishman
    Our once-upon-a-time teacher at Yeshiva University has panned a new book about rabbinic cultural development. It's a veritable battle ov...
  • Is Sigourney Weaver Jewish?
    Now it is far-fetched that anybody would think that actress Sigourney Weaver is Jewish. No, Sigourney Weaver is not a Jew. The tall actress ...
  • Is John Oliver Jewish?
    John Oliver is filling in for Jon Stewart this summer, 2013. He is one funny dude. The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Get More: Daily Show Full...
  • Free Download of the Soncino Talmud in English Online at Halakhah.com: 25,000+ satisfied customers a month
    The Soncino Babylonian Talmud English translation is online - at a site that is not anti-Semitic or polemical. Download the Talmud in Englis...
  • Was Christopher Columbus Jewish?
    Yes, Christopher Columbus was a Jew according to some historians. Charles Garcia, writing via CNN, summarized the case for Columbus the Jew ...
  • Is Paul Volcker Jewish?
    No, we do not think that former Federal Reserve Chairman Paul Volcker is a Jew. According to reporter Roni Sofer of the usually reliable Is...
  • Rav Soloveitchik's Dissertation at the University of Berlin
    In honor of the 20th yahrzeit of the Rav's passing (on Hol HaMoed Pesach, the 18th of Nisan, in 1993) and of the 110th year since his bi...
  • How Peter Salovey is related to Rav J. B. Soloveitchik
    In a comment to a Yale Daily News story , Peter Salovey, president of Yale explained his relationship to Rav Soloveitchik. (Hat tip to Billy...
  • Note to Self: Do not wear Geox shoes in the rain or snow. They have little holes in soles!
    We wear Geox shoes almost all the time nowadays. They are truly more comfortable for someone like us who mainly sits at a desk throughout th...

Categories

  • 9/11 (1)
  • Alan F. Segal (1)
  • amazon (33)
  • antiSemitism (14)
  • apocalyptic (1)
  • apple (11)
  • archetypes (35)
  • are-they-jewish? (73)
  • ariely (1)
  • art (18)
  • atlantic beach (3)
  • audio book (1)
  • barack (20)
  • baseball (2)
  • beyond belief (1)
  • bible (48)
  • bloggers (12)
  • bobby knight (1)
  • book club (3)
  • book serialization (14)
  • books (83)
  • boteach (2)
  • brooklyn (10)
  • buddhism (5)
  • christianity (59)
  • circumcision (3)
  • copyright (4)
  • daf yomi (4)
  • daphne (1)
  • dead-sea-scrolls (4)
  • dirty tricks (4)
  • egalitarianism (3)
  • einstein (2)
  • film (20)
  • footnote (2)
  • gay rights (12)
  • golf (8)
  • google (15)
  • haaretz (5)
  • haggadah (9)
  • Harvard (1)
  • hasidism (17)
  • health (36)
  • heath (1)
  • hebrew (18)
  • history (12)
  • Holocaust (18)
  • huckabee (1)
  • hullin (3)
  • humor (76)
  • inventions (30)
  • iPad (12)
  • iPhone (9)
  • Is-it-kosher? (46)
  • islam (19)
  • israel (108)
  • juergensmeyer (2)
  • kabbalah (12)
  • kaddish (6)
  • kindle (33)
  • kosher (16)
  • kugel (1)
  • kushner (1)
  • laptops (1)
  • lex talionis (1)
  • madoff (15)
  • madonna (4)
  • Maimonides (5)
  • meditation (22)
  • menorah (2)
  • Merkin (10)
  • microsoft (1)
  • Minnesota (8)
  • Mishnah (2)
  • money (65)
  • mormons (5)
  • morton smith (3)
  • music (29)
  • nazis (3)
  • netanyahu (1)
  • New York Jews (46)
  • norman lamm (5)
  • obama (19)
  • orthodox (86)
  • Passover (20)
  • politics (91)
  • pools (13)
  • prayer (92)
  • Purim (9)
  • rabbis (124)
  • rahm emanuel (1)
  • rav (15)
  • recipes (2)
  • religion (170)
  • schachter (1)
  • science (45)
  • shaiel (1)
  • sikhs (3)
  • smoking (2)
  • software (6)
  • soloveitchik (17)
  • soul (2)
  • sports (47)
  • statins (1)
  • supreme court (1)
  • Surfing (1)
  • synagogues (73)
  • talmud (117)
  • Talmudic Books (30)
  • teaneck (37)
  • terrorism (6)
  • texas (1)
  • Thanksgiving (4)
  • theodicy (1)
  • tim tebow (3)
  • universities (56)
  • videos (19)
  • wikipedia (1)
  • wine (3)
  • wingnuts (22)
  • women (64)
  • yeshiva (41)
  • yiddish (5)
  • youkilis (2)
  • zev zahavy (21)
  • zichron ephraim (12)
  • zionism (21)

Blog Archive

  • ►  2013 (187)
    • ►  August (5)
    • ►  July (30)
    • ►  June (23)
    • ►  May (25)
    • ►  April (30)
    • ►  March (33)
    • ►  February (17)
    • ►  January (24)
  • ▼  2012 (313)
    • ►  December (31)
    • ▼  November (23)
      • Is science fiction Jewish?
      • How Peter Salovey is related to Rav J. B. Soloveit...
      • Is Yale President Peter Salovey Jewish?
      • Times: Mindful Golf Works
      • Our Disproof of Heaven
      • Is Nicki Minaj Jewish?
      • Is the Mayor of New York City Always Jewish?
      • Wolpe Pans Oz
      • Oops, I ate all the little bits while carving the ...
      • Thanksgiving Turkey Drumstick Jack-O-Lantern Pumpk...
      • Thanksgiving Sermon of Rabbi Zev Zahavy 1943
      • Start Today - Quit Smoking for Good
      • The Talmud of Madoff and Wiesel: Review of a Drama...
      • Happy Diwali to our Indian Friends
      • Is Eric Cantor Jewish?
      • NYTimes Video: Surviving in the Rockaways
      • Is David Petraeus Jewish?
      • Right Wing Echo Chamber announces Sore Losers resp...
      • Stunning Cell Phone - Samsung Galaxy S3
      • Mazal Tov Barack - Obama's Victory Speech
      • Video: Mitt Romney's Mormon Religious Belief: Ther...
      • Vote for Barack Obama for re-election
      • Back to Teaneck with Power and Gas
    • ►  October (16)
    • ►  September (15)
    • ►  August (20)
    • ►  July (20)
    • ►  June (34)
    • ►  May (19)
    • ►  April (38)
    • ►  March (39)
    • ►  February (31)
    • ►  January (27)
Powered by Blogger.

About Me

Unknown
View my complete profile