Press & Reviews

"IT'S GOLDA, WITH SPICE...TAYLOR SEEMS SO ORGANICALLY CONNECTED TO HER ‘GOLDA’ THAT SHE BREATHES LIFE INTO THE 20TH CENTURY POLITICAL ICON!”
- Newsday

“GOLDA MEIR DAZZLES THE AUDIENCE!”
- Bayside Times

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 14, 2003

RENEE TAYLOR’s ONE-WOMAN STAGE PORTRAIT “AN EVENING WITH GOLDA MEIR,” SET FOR PREMIERE ENGAGEMENT AT CANON THEATRE.
AUTHOR/ACTRESS TARGETS ICON’S “HUMOR, CHUTZPAH AND HEROISM.”
PLAY WILL BE DIRECTED BY JOE BOLOGNA AND PRODUCED BY THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA JEWISH CENTER .

Most celebrated as a playwright and actress for her unique successes in the field of comedy, Renee Taylor drew upon the wit of Israel’s famed Prime Minister Golda Meir to capture not only that humor but also her dazzling “chutzpah” and historic heroism in “An Evening With Golda Meir.” The one-woman show will have its official world premiere May 6 at the Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills, with Taylor starring in the play she authored. The Southern California Jewish Center will produce the stage portrait of the American woman who emigrated to the Holy Land, labored to help create the new state of Israel and eventually led it to victory in the Yom Kippur War in 1973. The production culminates a dedication by Taylor, as she describes it, “to commemorate the life and the lessons of one of the great leaders of the 20th century. A leader who happened to be a woman.”

The opening will be preceded by a week of preview performances starting April 29, Holocaust Remembrance Day. Each evening will benefit a related charity. The May 6 premiere will celebrate the eve of Israel’s Independence Day. Taylor developed the play under the direction of her husband, Joe Bologna who will stage the Canon production. Rabbi Shimon Kashani, head of the Southern California Jewish Center, and his wife, Vered, a Golda Meir scholar, are the executive producers.

The Oscar and Emmy nominated Taylor was inspired to create the portrait and tribute after reading Meir’s autobiography, “My Life.” The majority of the play is based on Meir’s writings, but a substantial portion was derived from over three years of research Taylor conducted, including interviews of the late Prime Minister’s children, incorporating their personal memories and perceptions of their mother.Taylor’s fascination evolved, she says, “as I read with laughter, tears, and wonder the story of a Milwaukee-raised girl who became one of the most resolute leaders and effective architects of the Jewish state’s survival.”

Rabbi Kashani noted that the Jewish Center was moved to undertake its first theatrical venture “by both the dramatic skill and the passion of Renee Taylor and the importance of preserving the lessons Golda Meir taught. We see this as a great opportunity to bring to people of all religions the great spirit of a magnificent woman who worked for democracy and humanity everywhere, even when she had to meet with deadly resolve the cruel demands of a war of national survival. She dreamed of a collaborative peace in the Middle East, but was defied by enemities that have become tragically more violent today. “We are producing this because the story of Golda’s dreams, which Renee has captured with such fervor and humor, are the instructive legacy of a very reluctant but dedicated warrior,” Kashani noted.

The Canon Theatre in Beverly Hills has been a recurring and successful site for the talents of Renee Taylor and Joe Bologna. Their co-authored comedic works, Bermuda Avenue Triangle and If You Ever Leave Me. I’m Going With You had long and acclaimed runs at the theatre before each moved on to successful productions in New York.

The Southern California Jewish Center is dedicated to providing educational programs for children and adults in the Southland area, operating programs encompassing day care centers, integration assistance to immigrants, after-school study programs, assistance and financial aid for the homeless, substance addicted and unemployed and campus outreach activities in addition to the operation of its synagogue.