Reviewed by Barry Lenny, Wednesday 14th March 2018.
Azza is the Palestinian three-day mourning ritual and, following the death of an old man, six men gather to farewell him. This, naturally, leads to his family and friends remembering the past, good and bad, and that brings up many issues. Written and directed by Amir Nizar Zuabi, there is a fine blend of playfulness, fun, and also more serious and tender moments in this wonderful production from ShiberHur Theatre Company. He was already thinking about the meaning of azza, when his own father died, prompting him to write this piece.
The stage is bare, save for a row of a dozen white plastic garden chairs, and many more in stacks at the rear of the stage. The six enter and move from chair to chair until finally seating, suggesting that there are more than six people in attendance. The lighting design, by, Muaz Jubeh, is effective without distracting from the performances.
In turns, they recall stories of the old man from, his youth and throughout his life, many of them very humorous, some poignant. You will laugh aloud at the exploits of villagers attempting to rescue a donkey, or giggle at the old man handing out a truckload of watermelons to the entire village. We discover that two of the men are the sons of the deceased, one who is a successful businessman in Italy, the other who stayed at home caring for their father. This creates friction between them, which comes to a head, and is later resolved in reconciliation.
All the time, death is present, embodied by one of the men, calling to them to go with him, saying that there are those who have gone, and the rest will follow. The six superb performers are Khalifa Natour, who was also the dramaturge, Henry Andrawes, Amer Hlehel, Adeeb Safadi, Wael Wakeem, and Amer Khalil.
A cappella chanting and singing is a large part of the performance, with music by Faraj Suleiman, and movement is often stylised, with choreography by Samar Haddad King, both adding to the production and creating a sense of ritual and, yes, there are surtitles.
This is a moving and thoroughly engaging production, a fine part of this year's Festival.
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