[NEohioPAL]Personal Review of HOMEBODY/KABUL @ DOBAMA by Diane Horton

[Diane Horton]

Personal Review by Diane Horton, Saturday Sept.28,
2002
    Tonight I had the priviledge of seeing this
incredible play at DOBAMA Theatre in Cleveland
Heights.  Although
written in 1998, it is as if it were written today,
still as relevent
and truths still firmly in place.  It has a truly
excellent cast
making a very strong ensemble.  Jean Zarzour, as the
pivotal character
of an intelligent, educated, traumatized, desperate,
but determined
Afghani woman still exuding the juice of living
survivor in the 2nd
and 3rd acts, is so strong - she touches the hearts of
the audience
with her true, honest, internally ablaze portrayal.
The first act is
almost completely a monologue by The Homebody, Nan
Wray, a
not-so-plain British housewife who "loves the world",
but has a hard
time with her most intimate relationships.  The fervor
and reality
with which she draws the audience into a silent
dialogue is a tour de
force and a wonder to behold. All in the audience
could relate to her.
Even in her quirkiness, she is the neighbor who lives
two doors down
from you.  Brava, brava to these two incredibly
talented and skillful
actors.  Scott Plate, Robert Hawkes (who returns to
the stage this
year after a 10 year absence, Hallelujah!), Bernadette
Clemens - all
have very fine moments - well defined characters who
are always
interesting and fresh involving us in their horror,
disbelief,
reflective attempts to understand what has happenned,
and
self-medication.  A majority of the cast are of Arabic
or Indian
descent, and even those who've never been on a stage
before to act do
ingenuous, convincing portraits of the various
characters they
portray.  Especially notable are Ali Alhaddad, as the
poet "guide"
through Kabul, and Mano Singham (in real life a
professor of
Theoretical Nuclear Physics at CWRU)who plays both a
doctor and a
beggar/shrine keeper.  Excellent stuff. This story of
Afghanistan,
which is really the central character, comes straight
off of CNN and
at the same time, personalizes, even poeticizes the
current chaos in
that country set against the ancient backdrop of the
landscape and the
secular and religious history of the region.  It is
the story of a
somewhat disturbing, dysfunctional family of 3,
counterpointed and
interwoven with the story of the country, the Afghan
people, and
especially one women of Afghanistan.  Yet it does have
its humorous
moments! The talent not readily "seen" here is of
course, the director
Joel Hammer.  He is sensitive, insightful, always
intelligent,
sometimes brilliant.  It is to his credit those who
are first time
actors here hold their own with the stage veterans.  
HOMEBODY/KABUL
is so worth the price of admission AND the 3+ hours of
your life you
will spend experiencing it.  It's not too long because
you are engaged
through it all. It didn't seem to me like it was any
longer than
ordinary. Entertaining, moving, real, excellent
performances,
beautiful writing - what more could you ask?  I wish
everyone in
Cleveland could see this play. It plays tomorrow at
2:00 (Sunday) and
next weekend (the last weekend!)Thursday, Friday and
Saturday at
7:30p.m., Sunday at 2:00.  Take your friends and see
this play - then
go have a cup of coffee or a drink together and talk
about it - you'll
want to.

"

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