Gibson first explored Meir in 1977 in his multi-character work Golda, which was produced on Broadway with Anne Bancroft in the title role. Never fully satisfied with the piece, he decided to tackle the subject matter, this time in the form of a one-woman play.
Golda's Balcony, produced by David Fishelson, opened Off-Broadway at Manhattan Ensemble Theatre ("MET") on March 26, 2003, where it sold out its entire 16-week run.[4] Three months after closing Off-Broadway, the MET production, also starring Tovah Feldshuh and produced by Fishelson (directed by Scott Schwartz), opened on October 15, 2003 at the Helen Hayes Theatre, where it ran for 14 previews and 493 performances, making it the longest-running one-woman show in Broadway history.[5][6]
Feldshuh was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance.
In 2006 the play was adapted into a film of the same title, starring Valerie Harper.
The term "Golda's Balcony" refers to the nickname given to an area inside the secretive Dimona nuclear weapons facility from which visiting VIPs can observe some of the activity taking place in the underground portion of the facility.
