Mariam (Khawla Ibraheem) practises for the run of her life. She packs her bag, sets a timer, waits, and then she runs. She repeats this process every day and night. Why, you may ask? Mariam is in Gaza and the army often drops small warning bombs, as she calls them 'a knock on the roof' that gives people 5-15 minutes to run before their home is effectively destroyed.
Khawla Ibraheem, both writer and performer of this one-woman production, performed exquisitely the character of Mariam. Ibraheem portrays the hardship of everyday life in Gaza in a sensitive manner, while also being able to bring in wit and humour that you may not expect from such a sensitive topic. Her voice was strong, determined, and she held onto every line and every expression, giving us everything she had to bring this story to life. With this being a one-woman play, Ibraheem was able to deliver an exceptional performance with her fast-paced lines, building up the setting of the city of Gaza through just words. She also painted realistic pictures of the other characters - the lives that intertwined with her own. She brought to life her husband, mother, and son, by adopting different tones and expressions without the need to tell us who she was impersonating.
The stage is a blank canvas, with just Mariam and a chair, a bricked wall behind her. A simple and effective setting by set designer Frank J Oliva, in showing us the entrapment of Gaza, while also creating a background that could situate us anywhere Mariam could be.
At first, we are painted a scene of a mother and daughter, Ramadan, a hot summer's day. While all seems innocent and we hear the contrastingly peaceful sound of the sea and children playing, Mariam also recites the change of news on the TV, until we are shifted into a war-stricken Gaza. We then shift between past and present, as we learn about the current situation, Mariam's past with her husband, her father, her son, and their life before and now, but while this builds up the plot and setting, the most significant part of the story is the run Mariam practises repetitively.
There is an almost humorous but startlingly emotional repetition to the practice run that takes place continuously throughout the play. We see Mariam pack numerous bags, working out what's important and what she can physically carry. We see her practice all scenarios and ways to get out - from being asleep to being in the shower, and even on the toilet. The music would shift when she began to run and we would grippingly watch as Mariam ran in the centre of the stage, her monologue bursting with intrusive thoughts. This music created dramatic tension and these scenes helped shape the plot; every time there would be a practice run, there was a sense of the plot moving forward and of the fear and obsession reaching new heights.
Khawla Ibraheem interacted with the audience too, asking them questions and actually wanting an answer. 'Do I look normal?' 'How far can you run in a minute?' and 'What would you pack?' which invited audience members to shout out the possessions they'd take with them if they had to evacuate. This interaction led us to think about our own circumstances and gave a playfulness to the story. Adding this humour and interaction was a brilliant technique of Ibraheem's to make the audience think, and also show the humanness of the situation and the character she had created, even in a war-stricken setting.
Directed and developed by Obie Award winner Oliver Butler, A Knock on the Roof is an exceptional play that everyone would benefit from watching. It is a play about survival, determination, and obsession; Khawla Ibraheem thoughtfully shows us the everyday world of life in Gaza, in a wonderfully gripping way.
Review: Cara-Louise Scott-Lapish