Yasser
Walking into Studio 2 at the Arcola to
watch Yasser, I had a moment of panic; it looked like I had
taken a wrong turn and found myself backstage. The set – an actor’s dressing
room – is a private world that is usually hidden or overlooked. Yasser suggests Palestine occupies a similar place in the
audience’s consciousness.
The play is not a history lesson, nor does
it attempt to explain the Israeli-Palestine conflict. It is a monologue,
performed by William el-Gardi as young Palestinian
actor Yasser, who is about to go on stage as Shylock in The Merchant
of Venice.
Although the drama can be enjoyed by those ill-informed about the Middle Eastern conflict, it certainly
piques our interest, and draws attention to our ignorance. The two dressing
room mirrors reflect the audience onto the stage, thereby drawing us into the
conflict. We squirm in our seats as Lucy, Yasser’s English girlfriend, whines
that she doesn’t want to talk about it: “Not right now, I don’t know enough
about it”.
William el-Gardi gives a wonderful performance as Yasser, creating a character who
is at once passionate and neurotic, soulful and self-pitying. Very occasionally,
his delivery veers towards the histrionic and we lose the value of his words to
meaningless emoting. He is at his best when using his excellent physical and
clowning skills to act out numerous characters from his life and from theatre.
Yasser is full of in-jokes
about Shakespeare, politics and the stage, but a minimal knowledge of these
subjects will not hinder your enjoyment of this stimulating and entertaining
piece. The friend who accompanied me had never watched any fringe theatre
before, nor did she know much about Palestine, yet she was delighted by the
intimacy of the venue, and inspired to find out about the history and politics referenced
in the play. What more could you ask for?
