Review: ULYSSES ON BOTTLES at Moasic Theater Company

I left the theater feeling unsettled. It was same evening President Trump visited Israel applauding their good, without questioning their faults.

ULYSSES ON BOTTLES, presented by Mosaic Theater Company, tells the story of one man's seemingly trivial crusade to bring Russian literature to the Gaza Strip. The ex-school teacher, nicknamed Ulysses (Michael Kevin Darnell), is arrested by the Israeli police and taken to prison. Ulysses argues the Gazans need to read, the Israelis argue that they don't need awareness of life beyond their border. Izakov (Matthew Boston), Ulysses's lawyer, spends much of the show trying to understand what he believes are the incomprehenbile actions of his client.

Meanwhile, the other characters set the tone and the scene. Izakov's wife, Eden (Elizabeth Pierotti), is trying to convince her husband to wear a pink tutu and sing for children at an upcoming event. Izakov's colleague, Horesh (Chris Genebach) is trying to become a senior partner in the law firm. Then you have Seinfeld (Sarah Marshall) who seeks legal counsel from Izakov, but is best explained by Mosaic as "an allegorical expression of the Israeli surveillance state."

The play, written by Gilad Evron and directed by Serge Seigen, was very powerful. There was so much subtlety. I don't think Evron directly called out Israel for their civil rights abuses towards the Gazans. It was obviously strongly suggested, but it is a story that is likely a slice of life for some Israelis. Ulysses dealt with terrible strife in prison for just trying to bring books to Gaza. Eden, though she was so concerned about the happiness of children in Israel, could care less about the well-being of the children in Gaza. Seinfeld used diagrams to ensure from Izakov that the government wasn't doing anything illegal. All this time, Izakov, it so seems isn't on either side. He is trying to take in the rights of his client, the rights of the state and the rights of the people.

The production in itself was also chilling. A mostly bare set with only a chair and two screens, created a tight space to focus on the story. Apart from normal stage lighting, there was only a single light hanging at center for the prison scenes.

The actors very clearly put their souls in the play. Everyone had power in their voice and body. I couldn't even say one actor stood out beyond the rest, they are all so talented. They all even brought an eerie edge to their characters where you couldn't quite figure out their intentions.

The only fault of the show, which seemed to be a combination of story and directorial choices, was an underlying sexual tension between characters. Although this is fine, it made me a bit confused because much of it went unexplained. I ended up feeling like I missed something. That said, it hardly detracted, just a bit distracted and forced me to think more.

As a Jewish female, who has traveled to Israel, with family and friends there, it was an incredibly hard show for me to watch. I am not blind to the politics of the country and take issue with its dealings with Palestine. That said, it is still hard to watch a piece of theater on this country, of which I have such a connection with, and fathom that these atrocities happen every day.

ULYSSES ON BOTTLES was a moving, timely and worthwhile piece of theater to attend. It was a piece of theater where you could clearly see the audience connecting with the actors and the show. Yes, I did leave feeling unsettled and incomplete, but that is partly because I felt like I was experiencing history first hand.

ULYSSES ON BOTTLES is being performed by the Mosaic Theater Company at the Atlas Performing Arts Center through June 11. Runtime is about 80 minutes without an intermission.

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