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A MUSICAL DRAMA |
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P.O. Box 320302, Los Gatos, CA 95032
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Phone (408) 674-7140 Fax (270) 638-7770 |
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Another rehearsal happens the next week. Esya sings the song of Queen Esther, who has just been told about the plot of the hateful vizier Haman to destroy the entire Jewish population in the Persian Empire. Esther is safe in the citadel as nobody knows that she is Jewish. Mordecai insists she approach the king, which is against the law of the land, and petition for her people. Esther is in panic; she knows she has to come to the king uninvited. She asks her chambermaids for advice. They suggest she dress up, use the best fragrances, and this way charm the king. Yet Esther realizes that at this time of mortal danger she can rely on God only. She will fast for three days and orders fasting for all Jews in the capital too. During the rehearsal the captain, with two policemen, shows up. Although religion is not prohibited in the USSR, and the group cannot be imprisoned for a preparation for Purim, the police search the apartment, damaging everything that they come across, harassing and eventually arresting the whole company. During the interrogation in the jail the captain does his best to intimidate the amateur actors. However, the company is determined to go on with the show. By this time Esya has accustomed herself to her role of heroine, and at this point the border between her real life and the theatre has blurred and she feels like Queen Esther, prepared to sacrifice for her people… back |
