Not a lot to talk about this week, as I just had two theatre trips and one I’m not really allowed to talk about yet, as it was a preview – so I’ll include that in a future round-up. But one I can talk about is…

A Land Without People

A new play by Brian Rotman and staged by Palindrome Productions, A Land Without People charts events between 1939 and 1945 leading to the creation of the independent state of Israel. It doesn’t try to suggest any answers, instead focusing its attention on a factual retelling of history. The production, at the Courtyard Theatre, contains some truly haunting moments, and the closing scenes leave a lasting impression, reminding us that this conflict is far from over, nearly 70 years later.

The play’s cast of five take on a range of characters – almost all of them real people – to explain the origins of the conflict from a variety of perspectives. While 85 minutes is hardly long enough to make sense of something so complicated, Rotman’s script successfully pulls out both the main facts and the primary players to produce something that is at once moving, powerful and informative.

A Land Without People review for Carn’s Theatre Passion

NEXT WEEK’S THEATRE

Impossible, Noel Coward Theatre

American Idiot the Musical, The Arts Theatre

A Fine Line, New Diorama Theatre