Review: My Name is Rachel Corrie, Old Red Lion Theatre

Review: My Name is Rachel Corrie, Old Red Lion Theatre

Summary

Rating

80

Excellent

In an era where political art is being censored and watered down, My Name Is Rachel Corrie is not only a critical breath of fresh air; it’s a galvanising shock to the system.

Rachel Corrie was an American peace activist who was killed in the Gaza Strip while protecting a Palestinian home from demolition by an Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) bulldozer in 2003. Her extraordinary life and shocking death have been celebrated in My Name Is Rachel Corrie; a play based on her diary entries and emails.  

The adaptation was created by renown British actor Alan Rickman and journalist Katharine Viner, now the editor of The Guardian. From its inception, the play faced much adversity and many theatres were very hesitant to stage the production. In 2006 the show was set to transfer to the New York Theatre Workshop however, after feedback from members of the Jewish community it was ‘postponed indefinitely’. Next year marks the 20^th anniversary of its inaugural staging at Royal Court Theatre. The tragedy of this play is that its message is still deeply relevant; even more so now than ever, and yet the overwhelming attempts to suppress and silence it continues despite the many years past.

This iteration is particularly unique as the team is mostly composed of creatives with Jewish descent. Sascha Shinder, who plays Rachel Corrie, is a Jewish producer/actor while director Sophia Rosen-Fouladi is of Jewish and Iranian Muslim heritage. They courageously endeavour to peel back the layers of conflict and hatred and force the audience to glare at the consequences such destruction brings. We view the devastation through Rachel’s lens, challenging the narrative of otherness and encouraging thoughts of ‘them’ to migrate to ‘us’ with attacks on communities of any kind being regarded as an attack on all. In her interview with the Middle East Eye Rosen-Fouladi comments that ‘the predominantly Jewish makeup of the team came from a desire to centre the simple cry for humanity found in Corrie’s voice, rather than a debate between Corrie’s voice and a “Jewish voice”.‘ Within the small confines of the Old Red Lion Theatre Shinder and Rosen-Fouladi provide a space for both Muslim and Jewish communities to sit together as people and that is immensely powerful.

Proceeds from ticket sales will go to Ahmed Masoud’s family in Gaza whose brother was killed by an Israeli air strike in January. Both Ahmed and his three siblings lost their homes, and is now fundraising to support his family in Gaza as well as get his mum and sister out, to receive urgent medication in Egypt.

The minimalist set design by Billy Myles-Berkouwer is apt for the cosy theatre and the use of multimedia creates a dream-like essence to the production which suits the non-linear narrative. The play navigates between Rachel’s adolescent search for direction to her experience living in Rafah and Khan Yunis. As the script is a verbatim piece there is understandable limitations when representing the full scope of Corrie’s world. The non-linear structure provides an arresting manifestation of her thoughts yet it’s difficult to fully comprehend what led Corrie to make such a life changing shift to peace activism in Gaza. Shinder’s portrayal of Corrie is energised throughout and though her American accent noticeably fluctuates, it doesn’t detract from the sincerity of Shinder’s impassioned, heartfelt performance. In that intimate space, the suffocating hopelessness and needless suffering witnessed by Corrie feels incredibly tangible.

Theatre like this strives to challenge, connect, expose and explore in ways that other mediums cannot. In countries, including the UK, where democracy is often touted as what elevates it above others My Name Is Rachel Corrie unearths this fallacy. The attempts to censor this incredible story illuminates why political plays are vital and assist in the crucial mitigation against the insidious authoritarianism that is quietly descending upon the arts.

My Name Is Rachel Corrie is as much a play as a historical text. In the near, hopeful future it will serve a reminder of what never to repeat. This is theatre at its most powerful and a definite must watch.

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Developed by: Alan Rickman and Katharine Viner
Directed by: Sophia Rosen-Fouladi
Produced by: Mischa Alexander and Sascha Shinder
Sound design by: Ben Edwards
Set design by: Billy Myles-Berkouwer

My Name is Rachel Corrie plays at Old Red Lion Theatre until 29 June. Further information and tickets available here