About This Show
The Viaduct Theater presents the Chicago premiere of From Tel Aviv to Ramallah: A Beatbox Journey, starring “Human Beatbox” Yuri Lane. The show is a funny, engaging look at everyday life amidst the Israeili-Palestinian conflict. It is the result of a revolutionary collaboration between Lane, a Jewish “human beatbox;” writer/director Rachel Havrelock, the religion scholar who happens to be his wife; and Sharif Ezzat, a Muslim video artist. Inspired by the “ordinary people” encountered by Lane and Havrelock on a journey from Tel Aviv to Ramallah at the beginning of the Intifada, Lane brings to life 15 unforgettable characters — each materializing as a three-dimensional person with an individual beatbox soundtrack over the course of 60 minutes.
Taking audiences beyond the sterile headlines and detached news reports, the play presents a vibrant and complex portrait of daily life in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The first narrative drama performed in beatbox, From Tel Aviv to Ramallah revolves around a day in the life of Amir, a Tel Aviv dj and delivery boy, and Khalid, a Ramallah internet café owner whose parallel lives are separated by an invisible barrier at center stage. Over the course of the day, the young Israeli and Palestinian strive to realize their visions of fame and fortune, yet encounter the distinct ways in which political conflict negates youthful dreams. Lane portrays Khalid, Amir, and their respective Westernized friends, extremist friends, mothers and cities with the precision of a seasoned solo performer and the beats of a hip-hop superstar.