What if one of history’s most iconic figures had been given a second chance at his dream? What if his story didn’t end just before he entered the Promised Land?
New York-based playwright Michele Lowe asks that in her one-man play “Moses” as she reimagines the biblical prophet in a new setting.
“I thought that Moses got a rough deal,” she says. “He never got to see the Promised Land, and that always bothered me. I started wondering what would happen if I gave him another shot at his dream.”
Zoetic Stage is giving the play its Florida premiere inside Adrienne Arsht Center's Carnival Studio Theater opening on Friday, May 1 through Sunday, May 17.
Rather than retelling the classic scripture, Lowe’s version of Moses exists in the modern world on a different kind of journey, shaped less by divine will and more by the human experiences of dreams and loss.
Michele Lowe's "Moses," is premiering in South Florida at the Carnival Studio Theater on Friday, May 1, until Sunday May 17. (Photo courtesy of the artist)
“Moses as one of the prophets in the Torah, goes on a 40-year journey but this Moses is on a different kind of journey, one where we discover whether he will truly realize his dream,” Lowe explains.
That shift in perspective reveals a larger theme for Lowe that turns the heart of the work beyond the character itself and into the emotional journey.“There's an intention behind everything that I write and my intention was to explore this idea, what happens if you get your dream and it doesn't work out the way you want, ‘What happens to that dream?”
Without revealing too much of the plot, Lowe hints towards the mystery that drives the story.
“Moses loses the most important people in his life right away. We don’t know where he was when this tragedy happened, and there’s a mystery that follows him. But by the end, we understand why he never told anyone, and it’s tied to his dream, to who he wanted to be.”
And what makes the production especially interesting is the concept of the one-man show, a single performer (David Rosenberg) on stage carrying out the entire story. Lowe says this creates an opportunity for creative interpretation, especially for director Stuart Meltzer.
"It’s a chance for the director to really create a world," she says. “That’s what all directors do, of course but this gives them the freedom to build something, whether abstract or realistic, and really make strong choices.”
This play isn’t simply a heavy, tragic drama. Instead, Lowe weaves in humor rooted in the same emotional truth that drives the story.
“I just write what I want to write, and that’s how it evolves,” she says. “By large I’m an optimist, and I think that’s where the comedy comes from.”Lowe says the humor she puts in her plays come from instinct.
“Comedy comes from truth,” she explains. “I’m interested in what’s real. The natural moments in life can be deeply dramatic or completely hilarious. If you tell the truth, that’s why people laugh, and that’s why people cry.”
David Rosenberg as Moses in Michele Lowe's "Moses," premiering in South Florida at the Carnival Studio Theater. (Photo by Morgan Sophia Photography)
Rosenberg, the Miami born and based actor who plays Moses, says he was struck by the scale of tragedy that happened to his character, but even moreso that it didn't weigh down the play.
“Instead, the story lives in humor, joy, and a sense of searching and wonder. Even something that is enormous in its sadness can still produce awe and humor, and that contrast was really interesting to me.”
Playing a one-man show comes with its own challenges to overcome, especially when the play wasn't written by the actor playing the role. Rosenberg has experience performing in his own solo productions, but, he says this experience is different.
“What’s nice about the play is that it suggests certain types of people, but it doesn’t tell you how they have to be portrayed. There are clear traits, like Moses being shy, but that can look a lot of different ways. It gives you a lot of latitude, not with the words but with how you experience and interpret these people,” he says.
The 90-minute story starts at night in New York, but goes on to span longer than the seven years of Moses’ life. Rosenberg hints toward what the production of the play will look like.
“It’s 90 minutes, and I walk on stage and start telling a story, and it ends when I’m done,” he says. “I don't leave the stage, there are no big set changes but within that you cover an enormous span of time and experience which is really thrilling.”
The fluidity of time and transformation in character on a stage Rosenberg suggests is at the heart of what makes theater so powerful.“That’s the magic of theater, you can say, ‘It’s 16 years ago,’ take a step across the stage, and suddenly it is. You can watch someone age in real time just through performance, and that’s really exciting.”
That magic becomes the space where history, humor, and grief converge, allowing a familiar figure to be seen in a new way and a timeless question to linger after the final moment: what becomes of a dream when it refuses to let go?“To me, dreams live inside us. They always remain there, even if we think we’ve missed our chance to fulfill them,” Lowe says. “They are still part of who we are. So my belief is to keep dreaming, because it isn’t over until it’s over.”
IF YOU GO
WHAT: "Moses" by Michele Lowe
WHEN: Opens Thursday, April 30 in previews, then Friday, May 1 though Sunday May 17. Performances 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday; 2:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
WHERE: Carnival Studio Theater inside the Adrienne Arts Center, 1300 Biscayne Blvd., Miami.
TICKETS: $66.69 and $72.54
INFORMATION: arshtcenter.org
