Dana Schuhmacher, Maariv Magazine 17/5/2015

 

 

 

 

Very few Israeli plays in the theater pack a punch - at least one that attempts to hit society's soft underbelly. It seems the Israeli theater prefers to beat around the bush. All reference to the ongoing occupation was mainly whitewashed with a few off putting words at the expense of the public who cries for the long-awaited peace. In the meantime, until peace comes there is a theater that finds courage and determination to show the audience the complex reality of life in Israel.  It tackles holocaust memories, as well as the second generation that fights against the brutality of occupation. When this brutality is revealed to one of the characters while serving in the reserves, he chooses to build a home somewhere abroad.
This is the story of Ezekiel, a Holocaust survivor, whose son, Amos, decides to leave the country and build a new life and of his bride who tries to heal the resulting rift between father and son. The play "Ezekiel" is an adaptation of Michael Kovner images based on the father figure, the poet Abba Kovner, one of the Vilna Ghetto rebels. The adaptation to theater is a wonderful work of art by Ronnie Nino, who led the cast of the Khan Theater to its peak performance.
Abba Kovner is represented by Arie Tzerner, a virtuoso actor, who brings to life the character of the tortured poet. Although he manages to show Kovner the warrior returning, he leaves the audience with the impression of a true artist. During the performance we connect completely with the Ezekiel figure and the show ends in tears.
Together with David Ben Zeev as the son Amos who is torn between past and future, Daniel Gal and Yael Toker who play the women of this difficult family, there is an additional outstanding player, Michael Kovner's paintings. They are wonderful, fit perfectly and add to the message of the play.
In conclusion, in light of the fact that many theater performances today walk safely between the drops, the Khan Theater stands upright, and proves that  an outstanding repertory theatre ensemble full of brave creative people can stand tall and act as a bulwark against the dinosaurs who are taking over all positive aspects of our society