The Chosen

On 3/2 I went and saw the play The Chosen at the Seattle rep.  Let me say it was a great play and I would suggest you run out and see it.  It was extended to 3/20.  The play is based on the book by Chaim Potok and is the story of two Jewish boys growing up in Brooklyn in the 1940s.  One is Hasidic and one is Orthodox.  It is told from the perspective of the Orthodox as he reflects back on the events of his youth and growing up.  The two kids are great in their roles.  They do a great job telling the story how two boys who perceived religious differences are in fact closer than they realize and that while their destinies might be planned in their minds things can turn out very differently.  There is also the compelling story of how a father communicates with his son.  One does so through open communication and the other through silence.  The background of the play is great as you are taken through WWII and the camps into the lobbing of a Jewish state in the Middle East.  If you cannot find the book or make the play it was also made into a movie I never saw with Rod Steiger back in 1981.

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