Chubeza
A play composed of five stories from author Etgar Keret
Kibbutzim College, Tzavta Theatre
13/01/2013
Directing and adaptation: Ronnie Brodetzky
Movement: Yael Turgeman
Music & Piano: Kobi Lilian
Set & Costume Design: Aya Zaiger
Lighting: Tamar Or
Cast: Moria Kletter, Ortal Tzabar, Yedidya Ankri, Boaz Dan/Asaf Peri, Hadar Zusman, Hagar Meshulam Weizman, Dana Kopelevich, Tslil Atlan
Photography: Gili Levinson.
About the play:
A play composed of five stories from writer Etgar Keret.
The stories are told in full and remain in prose form.
This is the tale of a journey to Chubeza – a place where people are happy. On the way to happiness, we meet the residents of Chubeza, characters from various stories by Etgar Keret:
The Bus Driver who Wanted to Be God- the story of a meeting between two characters seeking happiness – the bus driver, who acts only for the good of society, and Eddie the cook, who’s in love with a girl who just might bring him happiness.
Slimy Shlomo Is a Homo- a story about a bullied child reject, told from the perspective of the substitute teacher.
Cheerful Colors- the story of Danny, who saves the world by coloring in the weekly Paint-by-Color in cheerful hues.
Glittery Eyes- a story about a girl who will do anything to have glittery eyes.
All the characters, in their desperate attempt to find happiness, succeed only in missing out, until they come to the inevitable realization that happiness isn’t contagious.
This is theatre at its most physical and circus-like. The stories remain in the form of prose. The actors are all storytellers, and take turns playing the roles of narrator, various characters, and other objects in the story. Thus, they are sometimes a little girl, sometimes a bathtub, and sometimes a number.
The actors' theatrical language is physical and carnivalesque. Each character in Chubeza is clown-like, containing both the clown's virtuosity and his failure hidden within. The actors play not only the characters but also the set and the props. They wander in and out of their various roles right in front of the audience. The stage is empty of a set, and the text is accompanied by live original music and poetry composed by Kobi Lilian. The theatrical language has elements of both theatre and dance.
From the reviews:
"I saw the play and was very moved. It's been a long time since I've seen actors who truly enjoy performing and love what they do so much. I can remember very few times that I’ve gotten so excited about something connected to one of my works. For me, this show was a glimpse into the mind of a smart, imaginative reader. I'm someone who’s seen many adaptations of his work, but this show is perhaps the most exciting of all. It's a smart and creative adaptation that made me see new aspects of the stories I wrote. "
Etgar Keret
"Abundant space is given both to the stories themselves and to the immense talent of the performers. In the first story, anyway, it really works. "The Bus Driver Who Wanted to Be God" is performed by a five-piece ensemble, and it's funny, musical, dynamic and moving to the point of actual tears.
The story is told in the third person, without costumes. The movement is tight, sophisticated, perfect. Storytelling is an art as well as a craft, and the stories are told beautifully here. This is exactly what the result of an interesting experiment should look like. In the last story, “Glittery Eyes”, all the elements come together into a celebration which bursts into anarchy in one instant and tightens up again the next. The play ends at just the right moment, and we are left craving more.
When it comes to student performances, the words "craving more" say a lot, because there will be more. Chubeza is just the first story in a long collection that these young people will compose. They've already succeeded in reminding me how much I love theatre, and why."
Yuval Ben-Ami, Achbar Hair