The Last Act

Israeli playwright and author Joshua Sobol is no stranger to controversy. Over the last 4 decades, his shows have caused much debate. Even his most famous work, the challenging "Ghetto", while receiving numerous awards still seems to generate responses that rarely fall anywhere near indifferent. In many ways, this polarizing effect may make Sobol the perfect playwright for our time.

With his current world premiere of "The Last Act", being produced by Israeli Stage at the Calderwood Pavilion, he shows no signs of letting up.

It is a taut and unsettling 60 minutes that tackle Israel's view of Palestine through the mash-up of rehearsals for a loosely translated "Miss Julie" by Strindberg against the Israeli military's surveillance state.

While others have adapted "Miss Julie" to illustrate extreme cultural biases - Ya�l Farber's "Mies Julie" set in post-apartheid South Africa immediately comes to mind - the addition of surveillance adds a sterility and coldness which gnaws at you throughout. The aloofness of certainty.

Director Guy Ben-Aharon has put together an outstanding production from top to bottom. From the pitch-perfect sets and lighting, by Christina Todesco and Jeff Adelberg respectively, to the richly layered performances of the actors.

This is a play that keeps the audience disoriented. It is impossible to know with any certainty what is fact and what is fiction. Where do Gilly (an Israeli) and Djul's (a Palestinian) rehearsals end and their reality begin? Do Dana and Ethan really have any proof that Djul is a terrorist or are the events driven by jealousy and the possibility of infidelity?

The expertly nuanced performances of Annelise Lawson (Gilly), Louis Abd El Massih (Djul), Craig Mathers (Ethan), and Marianna Bassham (Dana) are all entirely engrossing while being completely enigmatic. You can tell they all have deeply held beliefs, yet also seem to lack any true emotion.

How many of our actions are not only the result of our preconceived notions of others but also of ourselves? And when those ideas are challenged, do we revert to what we "know" or begin to listen?

This is a play that offers no answers, only questions.

But in a polarized world where all the base and ugly in us seems to be amplified, isn't it time to stop and ask some questions?

"The Last Act" continues through June 1 at the Martin Hall at the Calderwood Pavilion, Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont St, Boston, MA. For more information, visit the Israeli Stage website.