A feast of middle eastern music with a mediocre rewrite
Written, directed and performed Ofra Daniel, A Song of Songs rewrites the story from the Hebrew Bible with a feminist perspective (not really), embodying its inherited eroticism but minimalising its religious context.
In this new adaptation, the story starts in a foreign city where a woman, known as “the mad poet of love”, resides. Surrounded by young women who tease and mock her, she gradually unfolds her story. Her name is Tirzah (Ofra Daniel), a woman from Jerusalem married to a local fishmonger (Matthew Woodyatt) through an arranged marriage that brings her immense pen and suffering due to infertility.
Meanwhile, she receives anonymous love letter from an admirer (Joaquin Pedro Valdes), rekindling her passion and restoring her sense of self-worth as a woman who is appreciated, woo-ed and desired. Daniel excels as Tirzah, conveying her excessive desire for the pleasure in bed and her fatal madness, all through her powerful physicality. She is as convincing as a Tirzah that non can resist her allure. With the show’s Pinteresque twist revealing that the secret admirer is actually her husband, the woman is driven to thorough madness, leaving Jerusalem woefully.
The music in A Song of Songs is extraordinary, featuring a strong Middle Eastern flavour with a folk twist in the second act. The musicians are undoubtedly the MVPs of the night. Ramón Ruiz’s flamenco guitar provides an exotic ambiance, while Amy Price’s violin often foreshadows excessive and dangerous passion. Furthermore, Daniel Gouly’s clarinet always craves for heavenly redemption, hinting at the story’s religious origins.
These musical expressions are expertly interwoven by Ashley Blasse’s upright bass and Ant Romero’s passionate percussion. The music seamlessly integrates with Billy Mitchell’s choreography, performed by an ensemble of four: Laurel Dougall, Rebecca Giacopazzi, Shira Kravitz, and Ashleigh Schuman. This ensemble not only delivers intense physicality but also serves as a traditional theatrical chorus.
However, the excellency of the music and dance does not convincingly correlate with the story itself. Watching Valdes sing “Crazy Over Love” with his crystalline tone and misty eyes, I can understand the writer’s intention to conjure a punctum for the audience—an overwhelmingly intensive, cathartic moment. Unfortunately, this bland story lacks either emotional connection or modern relevance for women and our contemporary audience in general, making such a moment just fail to appear. Therefore, it would be easier to enjoy this production as a concert with a narrative, rather than as a proper musical theatre production.