Some tales are so strikingly relevant that the eye-opening glimpse of the world they provide can prove truly chilling.
On the eve of its opening at the Young Vic, we spoke to Amer Hlehel about his one-man play Taha, telling the stirring story of a Palestinian poet forced to flee his home – and in turn conveying more than a hint of personal motivation.
Taha plays at the Young Vic until Saturday 15 July. You can book your tickets through the venue’s website.
Tell us a little bit about the story of Taha.
Taha is a play about finding life after catastrophe. It’s the story of the Palestinian poet Taha Muhammad Ali, who was born in 1931 in a village called Saffuriyeh in Galilee. During the 1948 war (the Palestinian Nakba), Taha and his family were forced to flee from their village and make their way to Lebanon. After a year they snuck back to Palestine and found it had changed to Israel. Saffuriyeh was completely destroyed so he and his family settled in Nazareth, where he lived until his death in 2011.
In 1948, Taha lost his home, his shop, his education and his love. He wrote about his loss in a very personal human way with very tender, deep and powerful poetry. Taha’s story is very similar to many stories of Palestinians who endured the Nakba. Taha was able to describe such darkness with the beautiful language of poetry.
Amer Hlehel in Taha at the Young Vic (Photo: David Sandison)
What drew you to the story of Taha Muhammed Ali ?
I knew Taha as a poet, and always loved and connected to his poetry and the way he described Palestinian pain. For years I wanted to put his work on stage and couldn’t figure out the best way to do it.
When I read Adina Hoffman’s book [My Happiness Bears No Relation To Happiness, upon which the play is based], I realised that Taha’s story was very similar to my grandfather’s, and knew I had to create a stage play based on it. I felt a deep connection to it because I consider myself a result of the Nakba and still live it and feel it today.
I started my research with Taha’s family and built my story from a combination of his writing, Adina’s book, his family and my grandfather’s story.
What are the challenges, as a writer, of bringing a true story like this to the stage?
It is a huge challenge; you need to write a good piece of drama and be honest with the true character of it. You also need to be sensitive to the true story.
You are trying to make a fictional story from a true story based on real people, some of whom are still alive and some of whom knew the man very well. It was very hard to balance the truth and to take artistic freedom. I walked a very thin line trying to do so.
And then, as its performer, how do you go about rehearsing it?
It was a big challenge; Taha passed away fairly recently, in 2011, and people know him and his work very well. I spent a lot of time watching videos of him and I spent hours with his brothers to learn more about their way of speaking and body language but, again, as a performer you want to perform in a way that gives you the freedom of playing all aspects of his character without making him into a caricature or imitation. You need to make it yours and be free enough to convince the audience that this man is you.
Amer Hlehel in Taha at the Young Vic (Photo: David Sandison)
How do you utilise your own personal experiences in Taha’s story?
Taha’s story is very similar to my grandfather’s – they both made the same journey after the 1948 war. They were displaced from their villages, went to Lebanon for one year, snuck back into Palestine, left family in Lebanon and were not allowed to return back to their villages. They both built a new life from nothing.
I know this story very well, so during writing and rehearsing the show, it was like I could smell, see, taste and feel all the things that Taha experienced. Everything was so familiar to me. In some parts of the play, I overlaid Taha’s story with my personal environment and atmosphere.
Why is 2017 the right time to bring Taha to London?
It is right because it is a play that brings a new story to a London audience. Because our world today is so connected via the internet and social media, it’s time we stopped to actually meet each other and we stopped to actually listen to each other – theatre is a great way to do that, to share a human connection through stories and thoughts.
Finally, what do you hope audiences will take away from the show?
I want them to think differently next time they hear the word Palestine. I want them to read Taha’s poetry, think about his journey, and learn how someone can gain a life again after losing it.
Amer Hlehel in Taha at the Young Vic (Photo: David Sandison)