By David Hare
At The Booth Theatre
Reviewed by David Roberts for Theatre Reviews Limited
Jerusalem
is divided into three sections: the Old City, the New City (West Jerusalem),
and East Jerusalem. The walled Old City, in the center, contains Muslim,
Jewish, Christian, and Armenian quarters. The inhabitants of at least
two of these quarters believe they alone have the rightful "claim"
to this Old City and to its religious heritage. Faith. Belief.In the walled Old City, the street called the Via Dolorosa is believed to be the site of the original Stations of the Cross; that is, the way Jesus took on his way to face capital punishment, stopping on the way to rest. Faith. Belief.
When David Hare comes on stage, entering across a small foot bridge designer Ian MacNeil has inventively stretched across the open stage floor, he proclaims to the audience early on, "My subject is Faith. Belief." In the time that remains, he shares with his audience, an audience he has chosen to visit, his experiences of the faith and the powerful beliefs of the Israelis and Arabs he met on his visit to Jerusalem, the occupied territories, and the settlements.
Hare's play (and it is a play, not simply a lecture) is full of honest and risky observations. "On my way to the settlement, it finally came to me; the Jews don't belong here," he says at one point. The Israelis, of course, know they belong there. The Arabs believe with equal fervor that they belong there. Each belief carries an "exclusively" clause. They each believe they have an exclusive right to the area they either currently occupy or are currently barred from occupying. It is a complex story Hares tells, but his words always make sense and the stories he tells about the women and men he met from "both sides" faithfully present to the audience the complexity and the importance of the events taking place in and around the new state of Israel.
On the one hand, as Hare heard, Israel is the symbolic and real "insurance policy for all Jewish people." On the other hand, no one is sure of "the way forward" which can maintain that needed insurance policy yet, at the same time, insure a just determination for the displaced Palestinian people who earn only eight per cent of what the working people in Israel earn and whose living conditions are a step-back in time of sixty years compared to the living standards in Israel. David Hare makes it very clear that the events in this relatively small part of the global village have the power to affect the future of that village as a whole. If an audience member did not understand the events of the Middle East before seeing "Via Dolorosa," she or he will completely understand those events by the time the curtain falls and that understanding will connect with their spirit and heart in unimaginable ways.
This piece is well written and so well performed by David Hare that you want more from him. More stories. More of his personal feelings. More real-life characters along the way. It is filled with pathos, truth, and humor and it is a rare treat to be able to see David Hare perform a work he has written.
Stephen Daldry directs with a gentle presence and a permissive spirit. Ian MacNeil's design is outstanding and full of surprises. Rick Fisher's lighting is effective and he has several wonderful opportunities to beautifully augment MacNeil's imaginative design.
This is a play you should plan to see. It will become your via dolorosa.
Reviewed on Tuesday, March 23, 1999 (Opened on Thursday, March 18, 1999)
"VIA DOLOROSA"
Written and performed by David Hare. Directed by Stephen Daldry. Designed by Ian MacNeil; lighting by Rick Fisher; sound by Paul Arditti; stage manager, Karen Armstrong. Presented by Lincoln Center Theater at the Booth Theatre, 222 West 45th Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. Performances, through June 13, are Monday through Saturday at 8:00 p.m.; Wednesday, Saturday at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $35.00 and $55.00 and are available by calling 212-239-6200 or by clicking on "Purchase Tickets" above.
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