See the one-woman show that's picking apart humanity's vulnerabilities

At a time when Trump can declare Jerusalem to be the Jewish capital, accusations of antisemitism plague the Labour Party and negative feelings towards Israel rise, this solo performance from Israeli songwriter Avital Raz feels very timely indeed. My Jerusalem is a politically charged tale of a drunken one night stand, infused with stories of growing up in the turmoil of ’80s Israel. The project was sparked after Raz released ‘The Edinburgh Surprise’ in 2013, a graphic account of a meeting in Edinburgh between an Israeli and Palestinian, who carnally conjoin for “peace in the Middle East”. It’s this song that forms the basis for Raz’s theatre show, which stems far beyond intoxicated encounters to explore themes of ethnicity, gender, racism and the underlying fear that perpetuates all unfounded views. Watch a promo vid for My Jerusalem above and see it live this month in Manchester and Sheffield, with more dates yet to be confirmed.

By Danielle Goldstein

My Jerusalem runs Thursday 16 & Friday 17 May as part of a Works Ahead double bill at STUN Studio at Z-arts, Manchester, M15 5ZA; and Friday 24 May at Performance Lab, Sheffield Hallam University, S1 2LQ. See JR listings for more info or visit www.avitalraz.com.