Handala

An incredibly moving piece of interwoven stories celebrating the life and beauty of Palestine. ... full review

Handala is expertly drafted, interviewed, written, and performed. With one woman on a small stage I believed I was watching a full ensemble cast perform in a Broadway theatre. The depth and care into each character leaves them all distinct, the truth of these characters feeling as real and genuine as their real-life inspirations sitting across from me in the audience. The pain, the sorrow, the agony, the fear, the joy, the life, the love, and the *hope* I felt sitting in that audience—I don’t know if I’ve ever felt so much. I felt inspired and hopeful and filled with so much love that I couldn’t stop the tears from flowing. I would watch it everyday if I could. If you don’t know anything about Palestine, this will teach you a great deal. If ... full review

Myriam is a stellar performer. She embodies different characters with full force, and each are so differentiated and specific. She does this without ever getting lost in any character, but with a full awareness of the play and story she's serving. It is remarkable to see her take up space onstage, and you walk away forgetting it was only one person up there. What is palpable in the space is the creativity, love, and passion for the people the team is telling stories about. Each element under the directors' joint vision is done so with care and with the sole mission to highlight the beauty of the Palestinian people. I think it's so important and effective, and I was highly impressed. ... full review

Beautifully constructed and magnificently performed. Handala offers a fresh, nuanced, humanizing, and dignified portrayal of real life in Palestine. A powerful, necessary, and important work of art. ... full review

This is a beautiful and important show. Full of creativity, the artist incarnates multiple characters smoothly and clearly to share testimonies of real people. One could have the presumption that the narrative is biased, but the artist only gives us testimonies and facts. It's a powerful reminder that, regardless of our faith, we are all united in the end by our shared humanity, a message that resonates with all of us. Let's stop thinking less of other people. Let's stop dehumanization. Let's remember our past so we don't doom our present and future. Free Palestine. ... full review

What a powerful show. The stories flowed effortlessly together and showed different angles of what humanity looks like under horrendous circumstances. Handala sheds light on people and a culture who have been suffering for generations.... full review

Handala may be one of the most important theatre works of our generation. This solo performance show is not only a celebration of Palestine but it does something that is so badly needed right now: to give humanity and soul to the Palestinian people while loudly declaring that there must be freedom and liberation. It is an exquisite piece of work written and performed by Myriam Ali-Ahmad and co-directed by Becca Khalil and Mahmoud Abobaker. It is an essential piece of work that I wish to see continue past its fringe run and flourish for the whole world to see.... full review

What an INCREDIBLY powerful, emotional, and captivating show! There was not a wasted second.... full review

This show evoked tears. It made me laugh, it made me cry, it made me live many lives. I was a young child scared and confused. I was an old lady, sharing history and love. I was a young man, desperate for life. I was a jaded soldier, unraveling from within. I was a doe eyed little girl, craving sweets and being doted on. This show had my heart pounding and tensions rising and my nerves soothed by a lullaby that took me home. This was an incredible performance culminated in Myriam’s exemplary performance paired with the music, sounds, and voices of Palestine, each serving in its own rite to enrich the experience and envelop the viewer into the world that is thrust upon you. ... full review

A beautifully earnest cultural tribute and celebration of human dignity ... full review