A Land Without People
Courtyard Theatre, London N1
4/5

AS THE violent zionist insurgency in Palestine gathers pace in 1946, British Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin wonders “will it never end?” — or at least he does in Brian Rotman’s compelling new play A Land Without People.

Almost 70 years later there is still no end in sight and the complex history that lies at the root of the occupation often fades into the distance.

But what Rotman’s thoroughly researched docudrama does is to pull it right back into focus.

The three acts of this frenetically paced play take place in the turbulent period between 1939 and 1948.

In just under an hour-and-a-half the audience is rapidly transported from the parliamentary debates on the 1939 Whit Paper to the villages of Palestine during the horrors of the Nakba in 1948. 

Rotman reminds us of dark events closer to home, such as the anti-Jewish riots that swept across Britain in 1947 following the killing of two British soldiers in Mandate Palestine by the zionist insurgent group Irgun.

Extraordinarily, Lesley Ferris’s crisply directed production manages to cover such a vast swathe of detailed history with great clarity.

With an ensemble cast of five playing over 15 characters, there are inevitably brief moments of confusion but the incisive script compensates.

The modest level of characterisation is often the trigger of the confusion.

But Roy Khalil injects great vitality throughout, particularly as US zionist screenwriter Ben Hecht, while Elena Voce switches roles with an assured ease.

A Land Without People is a play with sincerity at its core.

It’s a search for the truth behind complex events and anyone with an interest in the history of the conflict will benefit from seeing it. It’s a shame and a tragedy that Bevin’s question remains unanswered.

Runs until August 1, box office: thecourtyard.org.uk