'Knock Knock': A child & the military in Israel

‘KNOCK KNOCK’: Niv Petel. Photo: Tai Kwun Centre for Arts & Heritage, Hong Kong

Special Event Review

KNOCK KNOCK
Written & Performed by Niv Petel
Artistic Advisor: Maia Levy
Set & Costume Designer: Rhiannon White
Original Light Design by Oliver Bush
United Solo Festival on Theatre Row
410 West 42nd Street
(212-239-6200), www.unitedsolo.org
http://www.knockknockplay.co.uk/

By Scott Harrah

Israeli performer Niv Petel’s one-man show Knock Knock is a provocative depiction of what a parent experiences raising a child in Israel, a country with mandatory military service starting at age 18. Mr. Petel performed the show in New York on November 12^th as part of the 2018 United Solo Theatre Festival before continuing on to Philadelphia.

The show opens with Mr. Petel humming a haunting, eerie tune while via expressive mime, pretends to be a soldier sewing himself up. It is a jarring opening to the show but sets the grim tone for a sober subject: The reality of any parent raising a child in Israel, knowing that, because of compulsory service, all children can die once they reach 18 and go into combat.

Mr. Petel portrays Ilana, an army liaison officer. He faces the audience as Illana, as if we are her son, Elad. We see Illana act out through mime, dialogue, props like hats and sunglasses and simple lighting, the early days of Elad’s life. To portray Elad as a baby, Mr. Petel has a towel wrapped up cleverly to look like an infant.

In this world where every child is destined to be a soldier, Illana is a metaphor for most Israeli parents. The story focuses on Elad’s life as a baby up until he is old enough for combat. We see Illana’s frustration about the inevitable as Mr. Petel performs numerous short physical sequences. Although it’s not always clear what he is doing—with his fluid body movements and staccato sound effects—he is like an ebullient Middle Eastern version of the late Robin Williams.

Some of the most powerful, moving scenes involve Ilana making a video call to Elad when he is finally away serving and she is unable to reach him. The horror on Illana’s face is heartbreaking.

The title Knock Knock refers to the job Illana has in the military. She must knock on the doors of parents and inform them that their child has been killed in combat. For a solo show actor as gifted as Mr. Petel, it is truly a treat seeing him act out Illana and Elad and hearing all his own sound effects. He’s often like a human jukebox, able to replicate different types of music and sounds.

Expository narrative is needed to bond with the audience because it is such an intimate experience. Some spoken background information might make the show more accessible to U.S. audiences because most Americans are unfamiliar with how the Israeli military works and may not know all the political details of what it is like to live in Israel, a country in which Illana says people either learn to live with the fighting or “in spite of it.”

Knock Knock ultimately has a universal theme that has nothing to do with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It shows what parents of all nationalities, ethnicities and religions experience when their child is either sent off to war or placed in some type of danger.

Published November 16, 2018
Reviewed at November 12, 2018 performance.