First stages artistic director emeritus Diana Reis and Robert Latimer on the set of VIA DOLOROSAThe premiere offering of the First Stages’ series of play readings was a total triumph for artistic director Robert Latimer.
In a daring initiative, Latimer essayed a one-man show portraying the playwright David Hare’s sojourn to the Middle East in 1997 and the conflicting views of the Israelis and the Palestinians he interviewed. Hare said,
“the subject of the play is... what is it like for someone whose faith has never been tested to go to a place where faith is absolutely everything?”..
The play has had year-long runs in
The play readings usually take place on an austere stage with minimal sets and again for this production the stage showed two large flags – an Israeli and a Palestinian flag, a desk with a mini British flag and a lectern.
Latimer shone in his portrayal of Hare with energy and empathy. His command of accents brought the voices of Israeli and Palestinian artists, politicians and commoners to vibrant life. Latimer confessed that he had misgivings about doing the voices, but felt that otherwise the play would sound like a lecture.
As usual, Latimer fielded questions afterwards and the volume of queries showed that the audience was totally engaged not only by Latimer’s performance, but also by the topicality of the subject.
The audience was ample with plenty of room for more. In the intermission, some patrons stated that the play readings appealed to them more than fully staged productions. “One can concentrate on the words without the distractions of sets and costumes.” At a time when theatrical productions want to imitate the ‘special effects’ of the movies, First Stages bare bones approach is bracing.
Latimer has promised that “this season's programme of is an eclectic mix of comedy, drama and music that is both heart-warming and funny, sometimes intense, always thought-provoking...yet ultimately entertaining!
With Via Dolorosa the 8th season is off to an excellent start.
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