Sometimes, the best form of escapism is in looking at the absurdity of your own reality. The Cameri Theatre’s All In Favor, a play by David Bilenca and Ronnie Brodetzky, is laugh-out-loud hilarious as it looks at a tenants’ meeting to decide on upgrading the building’s bomb shelter. The ensemble cast is terrific as they portray the different tenants, each with his or her own quirk, and the interactions between them will probably remind viewers of similar experiences at their own tenants’ meetings. But the fun doesn’t stop there, it only gets wilder and funnier. All In Favor is great entertainment and wonderful escapism in a hour and a half of laughter. The play is based on a Spanish play by Santiago Requejo López-Mateos, Raúl Barranco Gracia and Javier Lorenzo Sánche, but Bilenca and Brodetzky have adapted it to reflect the Israeli reality in all its bizarre configurations. In that sense, All In Favor is not only pleasurable escapism, it’s also hard-hitting social critique, that catches the viewers by surprise, as we’re laughing, with our minds wide open.
The host of the meeting, Avishai (Yoav Levi), lives in a fourth-floor walkup, and Shani Tur’s set design creates the illusion of several floors as he and the other tenants trudge or run up the stairs to the apartment. Shira Weiss’s costume designs speak volumes about each of the characters, one learns a lot about them just by looking. Tamar (Kinneret Limoni) in her leopard print leggings and top, adorned with a gold-colored pouch, is clearly in touch with her sexuality, while Reuven (Micha Selektar) in his button-down shirt topped by a gray vest, presents a more buttoned-down approach to life, he is keen on precisely abiding by rules and instructions and, surprisingly, given to bursts of over-sharing nostalgia. Sari (Anat Waxman) is the head of the tenants committee, and proud of it, yet her instinct for people-pleasing makes her fold, time and again. Pinhas (Nadav Assulin), the 50-something guy in an orange track suit, is seething with barely concealed rage at almost everything. Yali (Liam Pinto), in his bright pink shorts, has all the stereotypical markings of a young man in high-tech, he owns two apartments in the building, and ChatGPT is his muse. Amalia (Avigail Harari) is the last to arrive, in her red converse sneakers with magenta streaks in her hair, she’s also the only one who thought to bring snacks. As the group discusses whether to upgrade the bomb shelter, we come to know each character a little bit better.
As it turns out, the recently divorced Avishai is planning to rent out his apartment. But he drops a bombshell when he casually mentions that his prospective renter has mental health issues. The first reaction is shocked silence, and then all the fears and prejudice emerge. All this happens amidst revelations, flirtations, and wild humor. There’s a whirlwind of activity and manic discussions, all the while, the prospective renter – Muki (Lear Issa) is expected at any minute. The broad humor and wacky characters are very entertaining, while opening up the discussion on the prejudice against mental health issues and other issues raised by the play, is crucially relevant, and for that, All In Favor deserves resounding applause.
Currently showing at the Cameri Theatre.
All In Favor
By David Bilenca and Ronnie Brodetzky
Based on a play by Santiago Requejo López-Mateos, Raúl Barranco Gracia and Javier Lorenzo Sánche
Directed by Ronnie Brodetzky; Set Design: Shani Tur; Costume Design: Shira Weiss; Music: Ofer Pinhas; Lighting Design: Keren Granek; Dramaturgical Consultation: Gur Koren; Assistant Director: Racheli Sternberg; Cast: Nadav Assulin (Pinhas), Avigail Harari (Amalia), Anat Waxman (Sari), Yoav Levi (Avishai), Kineret Limoni (Tamar), Micha Selektar (Reuven), Lear Issa (Muki), Liam Pinto (Yali)
