Playwright Samah Sabawi not only has written a powerful and tender play in THEM but once again as with her previous play she has perfected the art of casting incredible actors who are all devastatingly convincing.
We brought our twelve year old son to the play and trusted Samah’s advice that he wasn’t too young to experience it but that we should definitely have a debrief with him after.
In a nameless war zone, THEM follows the daily challenges of a small group of family and friends. Bombs drop randomly and there is much tension between a young couple over whether to stay in an environment where they may be killed at any time or get on a boat and choose the refugee path which has its own inherent life or death risks.
Morality and the judgements around it are explored heavily and deeply via the introduction of the young man’s sister who earns money in an industry that could only thrive during a time of violence and war. Some of her money goes to help the young couple which helps nurture pointy arguments fuelled by guilt, desperation and fear.
THEM is clear to point out that the perpetrators of this hell life come from many facets of the social and political spectrum. Local extremists, the national armed forces or the Western powers bombing their homeland into democracy — how magnanimous.
Thanks to light hearted and humourous moments that balance the terrifying and intense ones, the play is ultimately an emotionally exhausting experience, in the best way possible!
About an hour after we’d left the playhouse, our twelve year old son said this: “You know what the saddest thing is about the play? That this is happening in many places, not just one…”
I think this vindicates Samah Sabawi’s choice to set this story in a nameless location. It is most likely based on Syria, but with that reaction from a twelve year old it’s clear cut how universal this tragic reality is.
By Richard Raber, published on Medium