Between the River and the Sea | Royal Court Theatre

Between the River and the Sea is the Royal Court's newest offering at their Jerwood Theatre Upstairs. The studio setting for this piece feels perfectly appropriate, the show has a stand up conversational atmosphere more than being a lavish theatrical production, it is based in humanity and connection.

Yousef Sweid and Isabella Sedlak have blurred the lines between theatre, stand up and conversation to bring audiences into Sweid's story of growth, awareness and political understanding framed through his life.

There are some touching and intriguing conversations around themes of identity and how culture can shape your entire life, including labels of identity and culture. This is what shapes the piece and we get these conversations through the lens of a Christian-Arab-Palestinian-Israeli perspective. This mix of culture and identity leads a riveting conversation that allows for a lot of nuance. We are also bought into the story of a custody battle, however this sort of bookends the piece and disappears throughout the main chunk of the show.

There is an element of the storytelling and pacing of the piece that does feel slightly clunky throughout, it jumps a lot from one story to another, feeling like a collection of tales rather than a coherent piece of theatre in some moments, which can feel slightly confusing for audiences. With the 60 minute run time and this pacing style, Between the River and the Sea sometimes feels slightly rushed or undercooked.

Storylines such as the custody battle get underused, which is a shame as additional time to explore these conversations could have made this show feel much more engaging and held space for some really interesting thought.

Sweid delivers the show as a one man performance and does so with confidence and clarity. He is able to deliver a deal of characters to the audience with precision and intelligence. Sweid also has a spectacular comedic sensibility; this show is surprisingly funny and more than anything brings laughs to the audience. This choice seemingly reflects and relates to the utopian world discussed right at the end of the piece, one of the shows most poignant and powerful moments. Whilst Sweid occasionally stumbles over lines and small moments, this adds to the show’s authenticity and truth.

Sahar Motzafi’s animation is an incredibly powerful production element; bringing conversations about borders and lands to life and ensuring, no matter where the audience starts their journey, everyone has an understanding of some important aspects of worldly placement. Sedlak brings some beautiful directorial moments to the piece, understanding where pace and atmosphere are needed to provide contrast and clarity in the very busy, flow of thought-based script.

Whilst most of the major elements worked very well in their own rights, once bought together with the script, a thread falls loose. This production has a lot of heart at its core, but the heart does not always fully make up for the loose ends it can leave trailing throughout.

Between the River and the Sea may not be the most rebellious or adversely political theatrical production, which some may expect from its premise; but Sweid and Sedlak deliver a touching message of empathy and humanity in a raw, authentic 60 minute tale that still manages to touch and connect with audiences minus its few shortcomings.

Between the River and the Sea plays at the Royal Court Theatre until Saturday 09th May - tickets and more information can be found here.

★★★☆☆ (3*)

Gifted tickets in return for an honest review | Photography by Holly Revell