Stuttgart Stages Israeli Playwright Joshua Sobol’s Work

The stage of the Stuttgart Theater is dominated by a daunting, massive block of concrete, protruding menacingly like the bow of a formidable war cruiser. This imposing brutalist structure, a creation of Katja Haß, has the ability to rotate, revealing on its elongated side the skeleton of a single-story bungalow, its rooms nested within one another and its walls devoid of plaster – an ominous sight that leads one to imagine a building that has been through the devastation of bombing. The atmosphere of war is palpable and immediate in this production which is set against the backdrop of Israel. The play opens with an intense interrogation scene featuring Libby (played by Camille Dombrowsky), a dedicated soldier serving in the Israeli army, who also boasts of excellent Arabic language skills. She is presently dealing with her 968th terror suspect. The suspect, Adib (portrayed by Felix Strobel), was on the brink of being liquidated. However, it is soon revealed that Adib, a Palestinian, holds a British passport and is in the country solely for the purpose of conducting research. Adib, an awkward intellectual, is engrossed in writing a doctoral thesis exploring the roots of Zionism.