The Arab & The Jew

Published Wednesday 23 January 2008 at 12:25 by Emma Barnett

Known for their immense displays of physical theatre, Gecko’s artistic directors don’t fail to leave an indelible impression on you for years to come.

Even if it’s not your usual type of theatre, as in very physical, demonstrative and deductive, you’re guaranteed to be entertained for an hour of your life.

Allel Nedjari - the Arab, and Amit Lahav - the Jew, use all the theatrical tools they have at their disposal to display the sheer amount of similarity, love and hate that exists between these two warring parties.

Words aren’t deemed necessary to convey the complexity of this age-old dispute. All taking place in a sandpit, dolls representing children, oranges showing land ownership and broken chairs adding a sense of discordance, fall from the rafters or emerge from the ground.

Through barely any words and making the most of the power that music can bring, a very even-handed view of the complex relationship between the Arabs and the Jews is portrayed.

“You always hurt the one you love” bellows from the speakers at one point and, when combined with Nedjari and Lahav’s jokey play-fighting, an uneasy truth comes over - there is no happy ending to this feud yet, no matter how much two actors cavort around. They know it and we know it. All you are left with, after such a complex and physical look at a relationship, is that one simple truth.

You do just get a slightly over-romanticised feeling, that if the Arab and the Jews weren’t in the world’s glare - then just maybe they’d get on. A finely executed and not easily forgettable production indeed.