★★★★★
I have seen a lot of standing ovations this fringe and very few have been warranted but it is unclear what else to do after Palestine: Peace de Resistance. The show does move you but to what? It does not deliver the traditional catharsis of a comedy hour. It does not forgive its audience of our complicity. It does not provide an easy or simple call to arms. I was left feeling helpless and really wanting to help and so I stood.
The main question of Sami Abu Wadeh’s show is “can colonialism be funny?” And the answer is no. The show is funny but the humour comes from his clowning skills, puppetry, cheap puns, provocative lip syncs and silly drawings. We ricochet from the history of violence (in Algeria, Ireland, Palestine) to cock and ball gags, jarringly, the theatrical embodiment of scrolling on social media, swiping away the infographics counting the dead.
There are so many opportunities to reassure the audience and I truly believe that a less brave performer would. But Abu Wardeh, an accomplished clown so in control he can create the illusion of chaos, knows he can pull the audience back from the darkest line and so it is powerful when he chooses not to.
There is a genocide in Gaza and going to a comedy show will not help or fix that. This show is not going to let you feel like part of the solution in your passive consumption. But that does not mean you should not go.
(To be very clear, I really enjoyed this show. The funny bits were hilarious and the not funny bits were masterfully delivered. I stood for these reasons also.)
PALESTINE: PEACE DE RESISTANCE is on at Ace Dome at Pleasance Dome until August 24th
