THE CHOSEN by Carol Kaufman Segal

            The Chosen is a play based on Chaim Potok’s best-selling 1967 novel that was adapted for the stage in 1999 by playwright Aaron Posner and the author..  This award-winning play, with updated revisions by Posner, is being presented at the Fountain Theatre in Los Angeles under the direction of Simon Levy.

            The play (and the book) is a heartwarming story of two conflicting young Jewish boys, who live just five blocks from each other in Brooklyn but seemingly have little in common.  Danny (Dor Gvirtsman) is the son of an ultra-Orthodox Hasidic Rabbi whereas Reuven grew up in a more traditional Orthodox family.  The two of them come to blows during a baseball game between their rival yeshivas but, unexpectedly, form a bonding friendship.  

            Reuven’s relationship with his father is, likewise, different from Danny’s relationship with his father, though both parents have the same goals for their sons as they guide them towards maturity.  Reb Saunders (Alan Blumenfeld), Danny’s father, is somber in his connection with his son, never holding conversations with him unless it is to discuss or study religious topics.  This is very difficult for Danny to understand, but he loves and respects his father nevertheless. On the other hand, Reuven’s father, David Malter (Jonathan Akin), a liberal minded professor, enjoys a close relationship and open discussions with his son.

            When Danny and Reuven attend college, each of them discovers ideas and interests outside of their worlds through one another.  And though Reuven’s father has always had hopes of his son becoming a professor, he eventually takes pride in Reuven’s new outlook and his desire to lead a spiritual life.  Though Rabbi Saunders has always been stringent in his expectations of Daniel and where life would take him, he acquiesces with apologies to him to seek his own desires outside of his religious life.

            This story, told through the eyes of Reuven, makes the point of the importance of allowing people to understand one another, friends with different backgrounds, fathers and sons.  The powerful cast brings each of these characters to life with their remarkable performances.    

            The Chosen plays Saturdays at 8 PM, Sundays at 2 PM, and Mondays at 8 PM. through March 25.  (Monday nights are Pay what you want)  The Fountain Theatre is located at 5060 Fountain Ave., Los Angeles.  Tickets are available by calling (323) 663-1525, or online at www.FoutainTheatre.com            

          

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