Golem of Prague
THE GOLEM OF PRAGUE is set in 16th century Prague, Czechoslovakia and tells the dramatic story of the creation of the Golem by the famous Kabbalistic Rabbi known as the Maharal of Prague.
THE GOLEM OF PRAGUE premiered at the International Children’s Theatre Festival of Haifa, Israel in April, 2008, directed by Howard Rypp.
THE GOLEM OF PRAGUE is available in printed form from
www.playwrightsguild.ca
Makor Rishon Newspaper (Review)
Jerusalem,Israel
June 1/2008
The Play: The Golem of Prague
Nephesh Theatre
Many legends have been written about the Golem of Prague. The Golem is a figure created from clay by the Maharal (Rabbi Judah ben Bezalel Loevy) from Prague in order to defend the Jews from pogroms and blood libels that the Gentiles plotted against them. Gabriel Emanuel, a very talented playwright, has collected and interwoven the different legends and created from them a wondrous and very exciting play.
The play portrays the family of the Maharal who experience the action close to home. The Priest, who conspires and plots against the Jews, also abducts the Maharal’s daughter and imprisons her in his Church tower. As the Golem resides in the home of the Rabbi, a close connection develops between him and the daughter of the Rabbi who takes care of him and worries about him. When the daughter is imprisoned in the Church tower the Golem is summoned to her aid and attempts to rescue her.
The Golem is rich with many varied layers drawn from the treasury of the Jewish world and that is so important for every Jew to come to know about. The play is very gripping. At certain times it is suspenseful and frightening and at other times it is comic and moves us to tears. There is not a child in the theatre that remains indifferent, not even for a moment. The set is constantly changing and depicting different scenes of action. The actors are terrific and relate the story with precision and in the best, professional manner. In particular, the character of the Golem is outstanding, succeeding without words to convince and convey so many feelings, desires and emotions. The actor who portrays the Golem even won for his performance the award for Best Actor at Haifa Children’s Theatre Festival which was held over last Passover.
The conclusion of the play is surprising and very exciting, but this I shall not reveal.
Run to see and you will completely enjoy!
The play is intended for ages 8 and up.
Length of the play: 60 minutes