The Horse of Jenin

Tuesday 5th August - 14.20

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Having left the Queen Dome at Pleasance only minutes earlier following the excellent but frantic It’s Gonna Blow we immediately rejoin the queue for the same venue to see The Horse of Jenin, Alaa Shehada’s story of growing up in occupied Palestine and - given the subject - are expecting a change of pace to something a little more reflective.  However Shehada catches us off guard by bursting onto the stage, encouraging the audience to whoop and cheer along before he settles into a very funny stand-up routine blending English with Arabic.

After a few minutes he shifts into storytelling mode, recalling his upbringing in Jenin, a city in Palestine, a tale of a family and friendships, set against the backdrop of the Israeli occupation. Shehada uses Commedia dell'arte style masks to portray various characters from his childhood and youth, including himself at a young age, his best friend and a number of his elders.

It also tells of the titular ‘Horse of Jenin’, a sculpture built by a visiting German artist from the remnants of the scraps of items destroyed by the Israeli forces and placed in  the city as a symbol of freedom.  Shehada recalls his story of growing up using the horse as a focal point for his friend, for falling in love and ultimately of heartbreaking loss. The story is as moving as Shehada is brilliant, moving from humour to the horrors, the personal to the powerful, all whilst keeping the audience captivated and entertained from moment one.

As we leave the room, my show companion taps me on the shoulder and says “Wow, well chosen, WHAT a show”, he wasn't wrong. Given everything that continues to happen in Palestine, it’s important that we hear stories from that part of the world, made even better when those stories are possibly the best show we see this week. Wonderful. (CB)

The Horse of Jenin is playing at Queen Dome at Pleasance Dome until August 25th (not 16th, 19th or 20th) - details here