Edinburgh Fringe 2024
Via Dolorosa by David Hare
Gary Hay and Chasing Rainbows company
Genre: Contemporary, Drama, Theatre
Venue: theSpace
Festival: Edinburgh Fringe
Low Down
The play is a dramatization of the interviews that David Hare conducted in his extensive travels, from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Gaza and Ramallah. He spoke with ordinary citizens and government officials to learn their perspectives on the conflict and their lives.
Review
In 1997, British playwright David Hare was invited to go to Israel and agreed to go because he understood that Israel was fighting for something they believed in. He interviewed 33 people in Israel and Palestine, gathering reflections and attitudes. Inspired by his travels, Hare wrote this play, the content of which could have been written in 2023.
The one-man production was mounted as a Broadway show in 2000. PBS-TV (American public broadcasting) interviewed Hare about his journey and the writings. He said that he went to two countries where what you believe determines where you live, who your friends are, and where your children go to school. In the play he draws attention to the similarities and the differences between the Palestinians and Israelis through the voices of the people he met.
The play has been remounted for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe by actor Gary Hay and Chasing Rainbows theatre company.
The play is a dramatization of the interviews that Hare conducted in his extensive travels, from Tel Aviv and Jerusalem to Gaza and Ramallah. He spoke with ordinary citizens and government officials to learn their perspectives on the conflict and their lives.
He talked with an Israeli settler and a secular Jew. “Sarah” lives in a village surrounded by people she believes want to kill her. The immigrants to Israel agree that you don’t come to Israel because it is easy, but because this is a thousand-year-old passion.
Crossing into Gaza, Hare witnessed economic disparity. A prominent intellectual tells Hare that they hate Hamas, but to what depths of despair have the people devolved to participate in suicide attacks and brutality. He describes it as a non-functioning society.
For the most part, the people on both sides want to live peaceful lives. “The people of Israel are the most persecuted people of all time,” he is told in an interview. “To understand Israel, you have to understand the six-day war, where there was a profound change. “ How does the majority that has been unloved throughout history deal with unloved Palestinians? After seeing a production of “Romeo and Juliet”, Hare likens the conflict to the Montagues and Capulets.
Through the many voices, Hare tells a story that could have been written today. It is dramatic, powerful, and moving. Actor Gary Hay provides excellent portrayals of the many voices. He is passionate, engaging, and clearly interprets each of the characters, from the gentle portrayal of “Sarah” to the raised voices of those who express anger. Hay shows no biases, just an even-handed delivery of a hard hitting script. There are posters as backdrops that annotate the locations of some of the conversations, note important sites like the Knesset and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and names of people with whom Hare spoke. These serve as the only stage enhancement, but I personally did not find them helpful as they were never referenced in the play or put into context.
The title Via Dolorosa is based on the route believed to have been taken by Christ through Jerusalem to Calvary. The play is a journey through thoughts and passions in a very complex region, performed by a skilled actor who gives it depth in his portrayals of the characters. The play would have been more effective if it were shorter and profiled fewer interviewees with more detail on each character and how the character relates to the full story. The writing will make you think about the complicated conflict and realize the commonalities from decades ago to today. You may leave feeling better informed – or not. Everything changes. Everything stays the same. Nothing changes. Nothing stays the same.
