Apostasy

Synopsis:

The strange and tragic tale of Hans Herzl, the son of the great champion of Zionism, Theodore Herzl.

Growing up in the imposing shadow of his father’s political legacy, Hans rebels, converting to Christianity and thereby presenting Zionist leaders with a major problem.

His struggle with personal demons reaches crisis point with the death of his sister from a drug overdose. A week later, he committed suicide.

The contours of his life and death highlight issues central to the relationship between Judaism and Zionism.  They also map onto the all-too-familiar narrative of the child of a famous father.

Character Breakdown:

The play is a 3-hander:  1 female, 2 males
HANS HERZL  5 – 39
JULIE HERZL  23 – 36 / PAULINA HERZL  35 – 40 – one actor.
THEODOR HERZL  31 – 44 / MINISTER / PRIEST / CLERK – one actor.

Running-time:  90 minutes

Production History:  Not yet produced.

Excerpt available for download for free.