Rebels and Patriots starts with a bang, but its strength lies in the quieter moments between this compelling group of friends.
Floating Shed’s Rebels and Patriots introduces you to four friends, each offering a distinct perspective on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, helped by the fact that it’s the result of an Israeli-Palestinian collaboration. The diverse viewpoints – a non-combatant, an intelligence official, a combat soldier with a stake on both sides of the conflict, and a fully-committed soldier – are each approached with kindness and lack of judgement. Each character gets equal space on stage to exist – and to rage, to grieve, to struggle.
It’s a hard watch from the start, sometimes veering into the exhausting with intense eye contact that feels visceral. Rebels and Patriots flicks between naturally-acted dialogue and more lyrically poetic monologues. These solo pieces between a character and the audience can come off more clumsy than direct at times. The play often relies on telling, not showing, but its best moments are during the more authentic conversations between friends, when the talent of all four actors is allowed to shine.
Learning about each man’s experiences through a retelling to friends feels more compelling than heavy-handed stories told directly to the audience. To have more of an impact, Rebels and Patriots should lean into more of those relationships, rather than the dramatic asides.
Nonetheless, there was no weak link in the chain between the four actors, Tarik Badwan, Harvey Schorah, Tom Dalrymple, and Nadav Burstein. In a short space of time, you can feel yourself in each one’s shoes, provoking the sort of empathy that is much needed when discussing such a topic.
Rebels and Patriots has glimmers of true genius and it’s well worth seeing for them, as well as for fostering the kind of discussions its creators are directly appealing to the audience for.
