Review: APRIL'S 1ST NIGHT at Habima Theater

I arrived to the cabaret April's 1st Night very intrigued- they had truly done an excellent job of PR.

Which one of us - the people of the 21st century, the prying, lovers of the tabloid press - do not want to know whom the famous singer Keren Peles betrayed?

When I told some friends that I was going to April's 1st Night, they raised an eyebrow. "Keren Peles did cabaret?! With sex?!", and I was not surprised.
We all know Peles. She always has a smile on her face, and says only nice things on television. She doesn't seem to be the kind that would rebel, and certainly not the sort capable of telling a story of betrayal filled with drugs, sex, and self-destruction. And that's what's refreshing about this cabaret- it breaks the image of the "good girl" and shows an unfiltered side of Peles, the feelings of her heart reflecting on the audiences' faces all the while.

In the middle of a perfect life - dream house, a career, a family - Keren meets Amir, a press photographer, who had suffered severe mental injury from his military service. The two fall in love and an affair begins. The whole thing has the feel of a car accident: two cars racing along the same road toward each other, and although collision is certain, nobody presses on the brake...

Even before the cabaret begins, you feel like you've arrived to OFF BROADWAY!
The cabaret takes place in the Bertonov Hall, which has only 200 seats. This means everyone sees everyone. There is no distance between the audience and the stage. There is no "fourth wall".

"The theater is one meter from reality", Brecht said. April's 1st Night shows us that sometimes it's better to have it as close as possible. the audience feels like a fly on the wall in this story. The first row in the audience is half a meter from the stage, and the last one is just six meters from the stage.
That's it- the whole cabaret is In Your Face!

At times the actors use the steps of the hall, sometimes standing on them, which gives us even more a feeling of them being with us, almost of watching with us as the drama unfolds. There is no doubt that the director, Moshe Kepten, and the actor's ensemble make an already special show even more fascinating. BROADWAY IN ISRAEL!

Keren Peles is one of the most intriguing artists in Israeli theater today.
She did not follow the classic rules of cabaret, instead creating something innovative and fresh, set to rock music and full of truth and honesty.
For this, she and the National Theater Habima deserve respect. The themes found in the songs truly fit the play's significant moments, and the use of recordings by Karen Moore, Ruth Westheimer, and others adds the Israeli layer within the story, giving another fascinating view.

The maximalist play of the actors and the musicians, headed by Amir Dadon, Efrat Aviv and Keren Peles, was fascinating, unique and brave.
Actors should be able to show a hidden side in their behavior, which on a daily basis they likely do not get to show. For example: to play a passionate person, or an aggressive person. And these actors do it wonderfully.

In conclusion: April's 1st Night is a courageous cabaret, and one of the most significant cabaret being presented today in Israel. The stage design is lovely, the actors are amazing and the story is in every one of us, as Peles says.

My recommendation - everyone must see this amazing cabaret.

Photo Credit: Ziv Koren
For tickets and further information, visit Habima Theatre.

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