Written by “Sold for a Danish”
Alright kids, let’s head to the soccer field for a nice game of… w-whoa wait! What’s all this? A pirate
ship? Fruit stands? What’s going on here? Alright, settle down and find a spot cuz’ you’re about to watch
the STAFF PLAY!!!! (I knew it the whole time!). Suddenly we found ourselves in old Spain
amidst Christians and Marranos. That’s right. The Spanish inquisition. But this time it wasn’t a story of
a man named Don Manuel who loses his children, gets tortured and then a tearful reunion at the end
bla bla bla (read: every single other inquisition story).
This time it was a tale of two Marranos, Gabriel
Rapaporto and Daniel Pallache, one a palace dignitary and the other a Jewish pirate who both need to
win a very profitable contract from the king. One needs the money to free his father, the pirate Samuel Pallache, while the other wants to help the Jews of Barcelona escape the Inquisition. The drama unfolds as the two fight for the contract until another man, Menashe ben Israel, discovers that they are both Jewish and unites them to a single cause that manages to fulfill both of their goals (much to the consternation of King Charles.
The story was amazing, and all the characters were actual historical figures (Abraham Zacuto, Menashe ben Israel, Samuel Pallache, Vasco da Gama, King Charles, and more!). The drama was epic, the stunts heart stopping, and the acting superb, with amazing props and truly breathtaking backdrops (see for yourself). This was a staff play CGI will hardly forget!
