Antisemitism by Uri Agnon. Camden People’s Theatre, 58 Hampstead Road, London NW1 to 28 October, 2023.

3***: William Russell.

This musical about the first 24 hours in London spent by a young Israeli and the prejudice he encounters could hardly be more relevant given what is happening at the moment although it has actually been overtaken by events. Wrritten and composed by Uri Agnon it gets a terrific performance from Maya Kristal Tananbaum – her voice soars to the rafters as gradually just how fraught life is sinks in – who plays the Protagonist and she gets fine support from Amy Parker and Hannah Bristow who play everyone else. But there is a problem. They are miked and the theatre is very small. The result is that words get swallowed up by the sound system and the words matter. It is common fringe theatre problem and given the size of this particular theatre just why they needed to be miked is hard to understand except that actors today no longer seem to be trained to hit the back wall of the Gods when speaking or singing and rely on the mike which is a totally different way of performing. That said, however, it is a rewarding and challenging evening as the newcomer meets a couple blinkered aunts, gets mistaken for Uri Geller by a couple of louts, and encounters a whole slew of antisemtic attitudes prevalent in British society. Agnon has lived here for four years and the 75 minute show is essentially what he has lived through. He concedes it does not engage directly with the current escalation of violence but with the root causes of it and claims it is part of a long and magnificent tradition of Jewish humour in the face of horror even in the darkest times. Director Emma Jude Harris has used her cast to great effect. It is a piece for our times without a doubt but those muffled words and words lost do matter when push comes to shove.

Cast

Maya Kristal Tanenbaum – Protagonist.

Hanna Bristow – Narrator 1.

Any Parker – Narrator 2.

Creatives

Director – Emma Jude Harris.

Musical Director – David Merriman.

Set & Costume Designer – Cory Shipp.

Lighting Designer – Amy Daniels.

Video Designer – Adam Lenson.

Movement Consultant – Adi Gortier.

Sound Engineer – Backs Cleworth.