At its most profound this blackest of comedies mourns the death of the soul in modern man.
Theater Review 88(photo credit: Jpost Staff)By HELEN KAYEThe American Princess
By Nissim Aloni
Directed by Udi Ben-Moshe
Khan Theater
June 3
Director Udi Ben-Moshe is a minimalist who cajoles the most from the leanest of sets and evokes the best from already-good actors. Arye Tcherner and Udi Rothschild play father and son, aka King Felix and Crown Prince Freddy, in this fun-house-mirror fable by the iconic author/poet/playwright Aloni (1926-1998).
At its most obvious, The American Princess is a soap opera plot. Envious, frustrated son is impatient to supplant dad in life and in love, but dad won't fade away, so son murders him. Maybe.
At its most profound - and profound is Aloni's true territory - this blackest of comedies, built on Greek myth and tragedy, mourns the death of the soul in modern man. We have, Aloni suggests, sold our immortal birthright for a mess of spurious pottage.
The king is a deposed South American monarch in exile barely eking out a living as a French teacher. From a mysterious "American princess," he receives a monthly stipend and a tape recorder on which he records the events of his life to send her. One day, she sends a famous "film director" to make a movie of his life; illusion piles on illusion, and events roll to their inexorable end.
It's Rothschild as Prince Freddy who must hold the play together, and he does just that with a sizzling mix of charm, guile and ruthlessness. Arye Tcherner mesmerizes as the fatuous old monarch and his slick alter ego, the "actor."
Svetlana Breger's set of walls, a chessboard floor and a chair, Keren Peles's almost parody of atmospheric music, and Roni Cohen's subtle lighting all contribute - a lot.RECOMMENDED STORIESIDF targets Houthi military chief, one killed and at least 14 wounded in northern IsraelJUNE 14, 2025IDF says aircraft operating in heart of Tehran, denies claim Iran shot down fighter jetJUNE 14, 2025Tehran under fire: IDF continues strikes in Iran, focusing on the capital – what was hit?JUNE 14, 2025The road to Tehran has been paved: IDF secures air route for stronger strikes on IranJUNE 14, 2025