Rap and ‘The City’: Jerusalem hip hop opera shimmies into English

JESSICA STEINBERG

Performers were booted out of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2014 for being Israeli

Bogart- and Jay Z-inspired rapid-fire Hebrew favorite to be staged in translation on February 14, sponsored by The Times of Israel

The City,’ a rap-driven show with hip-hop rhythms by The Victor Jackson Show ensemble, will be performed in English on February 14, 2017 (Yudan Abadi)

The City,” a darkly funny Hebrew rap opera from the Victor Jackson Show ensemble, has always required more than one viewing in order to fully understand its rapid-fire dialogue, wry repartee and songs. That’s true, even for native Hebrew speakers. The play tells a classic noir tale of private detective Joe meeting a mysterious woman who convinces him to investigate her sister’s strange disappearance.

Now the homegrown Jerusalem troupe will be performing “The City” in English on February 14, a treat for those who may not catch all the nuances of the Hebrew version.

Not to worry, it still works in English.

“In Hebrew, there’s all the references to Hebrew culture,” said Amit Ulman, who plays Joe and is one of the three members of The Victor Jackson Show acting ensemble who created “The City.” “So in English, it’s a little different, but the same idea. The language itself is a little more distant for us, but actually closer to the genre of what we’re doing.”

“The City,” a story of small-town detectives, lust and possible murder, is told via fast-paced dialogue of rap, hip-hop, beat boxing and musical-style singing. It is clearly inspired by 1940s Humphrey Bogart-style films, with more than a little of Jay Z thrown in for good measure.

Performed on a spare stage, furnished with a desk and a chair, “The City” is punctuated by the steady musical accompaniment of its troubadour, Omer Mor. Seated at the back, he is sometimes joined by his fellow performers on piano or drum — er, possibly an upside-down plastic tub or metal bin.

It’s a show that requires rapt attention if you want to understand every word and absorb its many nuances.

There’s one song made up of bits and pieces of well-known Israeli lyrics, another bit that scoffs at the intricacies of singular and plural nouns in the Hebrew language, and, throughout the play, the continual use of language and idioms familiar from Israeli life.

The February 14 English production won’t be the first, as the ensemble is regularly invited to perform it in festivals worldwide, and has performed it in English in Israel several times.

The three headlining members of The Victor Jackson Show ensemble (Courtesy)

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