Playwright
and performer Aaron Davidman is touring his one-person play Wrestling Jerusalem, which is now in
residence at Cleveland Public Theatre. And while it is more of a “tour de
feelings” rather than a tour de force, it still has some clear and effective
moments.
It
is Davidman’s goal to show both sides of the endless Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, as equitably as possible. So he takes on 17 different characters as
he describes his visits to the Middle East with quick cameos of various
individuals: from religious leaders to the man on the street and from a
military man to a physician. These all add up to a clear portrait of the deeply
frustrating situation facing the two societies that simply can’t find a way out
of their morass.
If
that is the sum total of what Davidman wants to achieve, he does it splendidly.
Of course, some in the audience may yearn for a bit more involvement and
connection with this perplexing saga that we have all seen played out in the
media for decades. And for those people, this play falls short of the mark.
Because
by taking a panoramic look at this topic, Davidman rarely gets down into the
personal lives and feelings of the characters he introduces. Just when we begin
to get interested in one person, he or she disappears and we’re on to the next.
In addition, many of his characters aren’t differentiated enough in posture and
inflection, so that it’s hard to tell them apart. They are not so much actual
persons as human representations of various aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian
conundrum.
The
exceptions to this are telling, since it is in those moments when the play
really comes alive. In one, a doctor explains how babies are introduced from
birth to the danger and fear of their new world, as their mothers’ eyes are
pulled away from their own as they peer at the violence outside their doors. In
another, Davidman depicts a stoner who actually has a persona we can grasp.
If
we felt the narrator had more at stake in his journey of discovery, we might
begin to relate on a deeper level. But Davidman remains an honest broker to the
end, which is admirable in one way but distancing in another.
The
staging by director Michael John Garces is simple and effective, augmented nicely
by a painted, crumpled canvas backdrop that is lighted to evoke different moods
and locations.
Most
of the segments, however, deal with issues we’ve all heard about, and little
new or surprising is uncovered. But if you’ve somehow missed all this turmoil, Wrestling Jerusalem is a dandy way to
bring yourself up to date. If you’re well acquainted with the situation,
however, this may seem a bit more like arm wrestling.
Wrestling
Jerusalem
Through
May 22 at Cleveland Public Theatre, 6415 Detroit Avenue, 216-631-2727.
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