As the crow flies, it’s a short journey, crossing the bridge from Palestine to Jordan, but the reality is far different.
Alaa is tasked with making the annual border crossing to carry freshly pressed olive oil from his grandfather’s olive grove to his aunt who lives in Jordan.
Embarking on what is inevitably an arduous and patience-testing journey, he’s regarded as a hero by his mother, who can’t stop giving him things to take in addition to the oil.
The trip involves buses and queueing – sometimes queuing while sitting on the bus and sometimes standing in line. It involves chaos and order, body scans and passport checks, and a view into two different worlds.
One is hot and has flies, the other has air conditioning and guns.
A gaggle of colourful characters appears along the way, from the loud, slightly crazy bus driver to the gently domineering old lady, a cigarette smuggler and the girl with the perfect eye make-up.
And then there is Alaa, polite (mostly), helpful, cheeky and quietly rebellious.
All the characters are brought vividly to life in a solo performance by the indefatigable Alaa Shehada, who is a skilled storyteller, switching accents and voices and adding physical comedy.
It is a funny play, witty and at times laced with irony. Alaa Shehada breaks the fourth wall, bringing the audience into the security halls and making meta references.
The staging is simple, just a bench and a large yellow plastic canister for the olive oil.
Images appear as if being rapidly drawn on the back wall. Historical quotes from the 1917-1919 period also appear to be written on the brickwork.
These highlight the injustice of occupation, a theme which is subtly underlined throughout the process of crossing the border and then in a final heartbreaking punch at the end.
With a play about a long journey that involves lots of waiting, the challenge is to keep up the pace and richness of the narrative or risk unfavourable parallels.
And The Bridge mostly does. There is a dip in the energy about three-quarters of the way through the play and occasionally the humorous characterisations become a little laboured.
Final thoughts
Alaa Shehada and Sam Beale have made crossing a bridge into a play which, for the most part, is entertaining, funny, sometimes tense and leaves a powerful message. I’m giving it 4 stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
The Bridge, Bush Theatre
Written by Alaa Shehada and Sam Beale
Directed by Sam Beale
Performed by Alaa Shehada
Running time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Booking until 11 November, 2026. See the Bush Theatre website for more details and to buy tickets.
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