Stuff Happens
Jews Anti-Iraq War Play Strays Into
Mideast Politics
By Lisa Traiger-All About Jewish Theatre
It's hard to get rid of the sinking feeling that occurs in reliving the run-up to
the most recent invasion of Iraq.
In Stuff Happens, onstage at Olney Theatre Center through July 20, Brit-
ish playwright David Hare takes on very re- cent American history, recount
-ing the maneuvers and back- room alliances made and broken by the Bush
administration.
Truth and fiction intermingle as we see the folly of a few leaders, enamored
of power, tear asunder nations and people.
That's Stuff Happens, its title drawn from the simplistic shrug then-
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld made in response to a question
about rioters looting Baghdad following the U.S. invasion.
Within this larger landscape, there's one gasp-inducing moment in the
Olney Theatre's three-hour production, strategically directed by Jeremy
Skidmore. Naomi Jacobson plays a nameless Palestinian woman, her hair
modestly covered, her accent thick with the sand and sun of the Middle
East.
Plaintive and accusatory, the woman, a Palestinian scholar, asks, "Why
Iraq? Why now ֹ for us, it is all about one thing: defending the interests of
America's $1 billion a year colony in the Middle East." "We," she asserts,
"are the Jews of the Jews."
Stuff Happens is onstage through July 20 at the Mulitz-Gudelsky
Theatre Lab at the Olney Theatre Center. Tickets, $25-$48, are available
by calling 301-924-3400 or online at www.olneytheatre.org .
Mideast Politics
By Lisa Traiger-All About Jewish Theatre
It's hard to get rid of the sinking feeling that occurs in reliving the run-up to
the most recent invasion of Iraq.
In Stuff Happens, onstage at Olney Theatre Center through July 20, Brit-
ish playwright David Hare takes on very re- cent American history, recount
-ing the maneuvers and back- room alliances made and broken by the Bush
administration.
Truth and fiction intermingle as we see the folly of a few leaders, enamored
of power, tear asunder nations and people.
That's Stuff Happens, its title drawn from the simplistic shrug then-
Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld made in response to a question
about rioters looting Baghdad following the U.S. invasion.
Within this larger landscape, there's one gasp-inducing moment in the
Olney Theatre's three-hour production, strategically directed by Jeremy
Skidmore. Naomi Jacobson plays a nameless Palestinian woman, her hair
modestly covered, her accent thick with the sand and sun of the Middle
East.
Plaintive and accusatory, the woman, a Palestinian scholar, asks, "Why
Iraq? Why now ֹ for us, it is all about one thing: defending the interests of
America's $1 billion a year colony in the Middle East." "We," she asserts,
"are the Jews of the Jews."
Stuff Happens is onstage through July 20 at the Mulitz-Gudelsky
Theatre Lab at the Olney Theatre Center. Tickets, $25-$48, are available
by calling 301-924-3400 or online at www.olneytheatre.org .
| Theatre |
HIGHLIGHTS
| ____________________________________________________________ |
| ____________________________________________________________ |
1
| Read Next Article~Review |
Phases, Reflections, Revelation
Alvin Ailey Dance Company
Alvin Ailey Dance Company
He's 'Counselor',
This Time
This Time
Dame` Bernhardt,
Without
Without
September 9-September 28, 2008,
J Theatre ~ D.C.
J Theatre ~ D.C.
September 16-21, 2008
Warner Theatre ~ D.C.
Warner Theatre ~ D.C.
August 6th & 7th 2008, Hurry! Other three
"Anniversary Free Performances, sold-out!
Multiple Locations ~ New York
"Anniversary Free Performances, sold-out!
Multiple Locations ~ New York
50th! Anniversary