sanctioning the global performance village

There has been little that we can deem beneficial from the past five years in the occupation of Iraq, but one of the positive aspects we can cite is a (renewed?) interest in the history, politics, and cultures of the Middle East—in literature, in the news, and of course in performance. And aside from plays investigating the generic soldier, from knee-jerk agitprop to beautifully constructed drama, there are some who push the bill even further and dive right into the thick of conflicts of all varieties—intercultural, intracultural, secular (thanks Dr. Bharucha!). Naomi Wallace is one of the playwrights who has taken up this subject of inquiry.

The Fever Chart, her work in progress at the Public, explores the relationships between Israelis and Palestinians, Iraqis and Americans, with a few more tossed in for good measure. A trio of playlets that run the gamut from cliché to beautiful, Wallace ultimately explores the deeper human connections beyond the convoluted world of politics and religious rhetoric. Perhaps the eeriest and most stunning is the middle piece, “Between This Breath and You,” in which an Arab man confronts an Israeli nurse about her lung transplant five years ago. It’s never resolved, but the man claims that her lungs were once his son’s; his son, of course, was murdered by Israeli soldiers. What begins as a strange encounter twists and turns into a marvelous dramatization of creation through violence, the ownership of our very bodies, and the desire for physical autonomy in an increasingly fragmented, interconnected world.

In a period of profound conflict, perhaps the greatest degree of misunderstanding between cultures since outright imperialist times, it becomes increasingly important to learn about, dare I say empathize, with these cultures that we have conveniently ignored or pigeonholed for the past fifty years or more. Naomi Wallace’s initiative is driven home by a wealth of information provided in the dramaturgical notes in the program, ending with a marvelous list of recommended reading (why doesn’t every performance include this?!). Wallace isn’t always successful with this in practice, but in her frequent, strong moments, supported by a very strong cast and decent direction by Jo Bonney, she provides the audience with a moving and, most importantly, ethical performance experience. As the character of the final piece, “The Retreating World,” mourns, “Somewhere within all this information is a lullaby.”

The twinge of irony is quickly overwhelmed by the humanity, history, and loss of one individual, which Wallace seems convinced, is all it takes. I hope she’s right.

[Tweed note: PAJ recently published part one of The Fever Chart, "A State of Innocence" (PAJ 84, September 2006) which you may find here if you have access to Project Muse.]