The annual Teatronetto, this year removed from Habimah to Suzanne Dellal's picturesque theater center, was a gay and festive affair.
By NAOMI DOUDAIJob and the Elephant with Guma Sarig
at The Inbal Hall
Cappucinno at Ramallah with Salva Nekara Hadad at Studio A
The Teatronetto Theater Festival
Suzanne Dellal Center, Tel Aviv
April 29
The annual Teatronetto, this year removed from Habimah to Suzanne Dellal's picturesque theater center, was a gay and festive affair. Here the open-air celebrations were as crowded as were the indoor performances. The last day of a three-day stint was distinguished by two very effective offerings.
The first, Job and the Elephant, adapted from a short story by Yoram Kaniuk, is a touching tale of a strong-spirited 13 -year old Tel Avivian called Job who befriends Polly the Pil, an African elephant escaped from a local circus. Deciding to return the enslaved creature to a school for orphaned elements in his native Kenya, Job runs amok pursued by frantic parents, teachers, police and finally by tanks, choppers, and army personnel.
Guma Sarig, directed by Yoni Atiel, gave a captivating performance as the intrepid Job. His impersonations of the adults involved in pursuit of Polly and his rescuer, were impressive. Altogether a hilarious and moving performance which did justice to Kaniuk's colorful story.
Cappucinno at Ramallah, written by Suad Aamiri and directed by Nola Chilton, belongs in a very different class. In five separate scenes it presents the sufferings, frustrations, and humiliation of Palestinian Arab women strangled in the bureaucracy that accompanies Israeli occupation. In the role of a Birzet University academic, Salva Nekara Hadad depicts with mounting passion relieved by sly humor the crushing encounters with security personnel experienced at airports, border crossings, and in public offices. In a very moving performance she reveals an unvarnished picture of female victimization not often covered by press and TV reportage.