The Horse of Jenin

Edinburgh Festivals Magazine

It takes a special kind of personality, writer, actor to be able to create light from the darkest situations. Palestinian born Alaa Shehada delivers this to the highest standard combining a beautiful storytelling style with genius character mask work and moments of manic upbeat stand-up comedy to create a theatre piece that comes from the heart of his true life story.

The military occupation in Palestine provides a backdrop that our storyteller has always known. Alaa doesn’t dwell on the heaviness of this but instead chooses how it has affected normal fragments of his life such as his first date and his friend looking for his Playstation.

Then, when a German artist builds a giant horse out of the wreckage of an Israeli incursion the horse becomes the most meaningful symbol of Jenin existence, vitality and strength.

Wrapped around this symbolism is a heartwarming and beautiful story of he and his best friend Achmed. The lightness of their years spent together growing up. It is boyhood at its best and Alaa performs it to both tug at your heartstrings and make you laugh out loud.

The Horse of Jenin is a rollercoaster of emotions throughout. There is of course inevitably a sadness within. But this immensely powerful and honest piece is so much more than a tragic story. It concludes with the most powerful message of hope, resilience, togetherness and rebuilding that everyone who has seen the show can now forever be proud to continue.