The “Big World, Up Close” series at Melbourne’s Arts Centre showcases intimate theatre from all over the globe, and this season kicks off with a piercing tour de force from Palestinian actor Amer Hlehel.
Taha tells the story of celebrated Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali, weaving biography and poetry into a vital, humorous and moving account that embeds the political in the personal.
Through his subject, Hlehel puts a human face on Palestinian dispossession, suffering and flight, and embodies his people’s resilience and zest for life. It’s compulsory viewing for anyone who’s a bit vague on the troubled history of Palestine, or indeed anyone who loves poetry. But beyond its instructive quality and moral purpose, it’s a joy to watch acting of such skill and sustained emotional intensity.
Read the review by Cameron Woodhead in The Sydney Morning Herald.