Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *

Cast: Nir Paldi, Orian Michaeli, Amy Nostbakken, Seiko Nakazawa, Stefi Sourial, Deborah Pugh, Pete Aves.

The tale of one boy growing up in the settlements of Israel, the history behind his family and the darkness that seeps through like an admission of youthful guilt is introduced not with the fading bell of entropy but with the sound of music, the reckless, wonderfully stirring style of Berlin in the 1920s and with the gaze of the a man pouring into your soul looking for understanding and a sort of forgiveness, not many plays have this at its heart, there is probably no play around that captures the soul in quite the same way as Ballad Of The Burning Star.

Written by Nir Paldi, Ballad Of The Burning Star is the story of Star, the concierge to the drama ahead/Israel the boy and the nation that he bears the name of, Israel, told through brutality, humour, the abandonment of humanity and the long memory of those who have been wronged and yet somehow have managed to be just as capable, arguably, of oppression as any nation on Earth.

What started out as just the image of playfulness, the nod to the decadence surrounding us at all times, whether you choose to revel in it or not, soon became more serious, darker and with the very hint of destruction ever hanging in the air as the boy grows up, anguish and grief follow his family and those of his nation like an albatross hung round the neck of a banshee.

Perhaps the most telling moment is the part where the reciting of the moments of history in which the persecutions and expulsions have left a deep mark in the history of the Jewish people, the list is fascinating to hear and is done with the touch of solemnity and passion deserving the moment. All this is done by all the cast except Star/Israel who as with all good compares seeks to find the next line and asks above the years and places that he would like to move on now. It is a touching, almost heart breaking moment of speech that you are likely to hear in theatres this year.

As the light on stage was suddenly dimmed and Mr. Paldi and the audience were plunged into dramatic darkness, the stunning nature of the piece that had unfolded before the crowd in the Unity Theatre by the sound of gritty admiration, the shock of a thousand applauses that would erupt only when the light went back on. It was a strong, brutal and message laden ending that had the audience gripped firmly in their places.

Ballad Of The Burning Star is worthy of being considered a natural heir to Cabaret, the theatre of the grotesque thought, the question that doesn’t want an answer but watches in wonderment at the unfolding drama, music and sheer brilliance of bringing something so audaciously superb to the stage. Fantastically delivered, beautifully performed by all, especially the outstanding hard work that went into the choreography and had the crowd enraptured as much as the drama before them. This wasn’t just theatre, it was a trip into the unknown and how well this trip was received.

Outstanding!

Ian D. Hall