Stuck on a fifty-degree bus, clutching an ungainly plastic box, Alaa dreams of a plane. A plane to take him and his fellow Palestinians to neighbouring Jordan, bypassing the infamous road crossing known simply as The Bridge. Bringing their show to the Bush Theatre from the Edinburgh Fringe, co-writers Alaa Shehada (who also performs) and Sam Beale (who also directs) find big, surprising laughs in the idea that suffering from occupation is in fact a bit of a ballache. But hidden beneath the comedy gold (and a barnstorming solo performance from Shehada) is the undeniable truth of the hardship faced by oppressed Palestinians.
Alaa’s pilgrimage springs from his mum’s insistence that her father’s olive oil is the best in all Palestine. So yearly she packs up a box of the stuff for her sister in Jordan, forcing her son to make the anxious journey across the border. As Alaa sighs, sweats, and elbows his way through the three checkpoints (Palestinian, Israeli and Jordanian), he meets all manner of characters ranging from curious to sinister to downright irritating.
Shehada plays himself as well as (almost) all the bit parts, and he has a knack for character work that makes each role funnier than the last. There’s the jovial taxi driver, shuddering ferociously as he goes; the forgetful old hajji who smooches Alaa while sampling his oil; the self-satisfied Jordanian guard who hoots and slaps his belly when learning that Alaa’s an actor: “Come and Shakespeare for us!”
Shehada’s delivery only heightens what is already a fantastic script from him and Beale, filled with properly funny gags, including some great ribbing of the audience, particularly enjoyable on press night. The script also carries some impressive emotional beats, deftly woven into the humour. For example, when Shehada becomes an Israeli checkpoint soldier sipping on a bougie lemon water, he exaggerates her pouty lips and irritating slurps. But the scene takes on a more sinister tone when she is the one manning the final exit, machine gun across her lap, and Alaa has to remind himself to be “a good Palestinian”.
Understandably for a solo show, the production design of The Bridge is minimal, though a digital backdrop is provided by illustrator Jazz Thompson and animator Charlotte Knowles. Thompson’s illustrations are pretty, though on the whole not hugely necessary; the real purpose of the projections is to punctuate the show with missives from 1916-19 demonstrating the Brits’ imperial meddling in the area. It’s simply done but effective, constantly reminding the audience of the dark legacy of British colonialism in that region.
It’s hard to imagine a play set in Palestine in 2026 would be funny. But Shehada and Beale pull it off flawlessly, offering a show as gag-packed as any top-shelf comedy. By adding in some real stakes, emotional impact and a dash of historical criticism, they’ve made The Bridge an absolute winner.
Listings and ticket information can be found here
