It is refreshing to hear a story about Israel that does not have the Middle East conflict raging at its centre. The drama here is of a marriage in meltdown: Heather is experiencing a culture shock after emigrating to Tel Aviv because of Zach’s job. “I had never left Ohio,” she tells us, and describes the gulf that grows between her and Zach after he finds God in Orthodox Judaism.
She has her own Damascene conversion when she takes up surfing. This offers her new life and companionship, both from her sexy surfing instructor and a female friendship that leaves her questioning her life choices.
Based on a real story, it is written by Erin Hunter whose solo performance is full of zeal and physicality. Directed by Adam Lenson, the pace demands quick athleticism from Hunter, who rearranges plastic boxes for different scenes, jumping on them when they become her surfboard.
Hunter plays the full gamut of characters with clarity and wit, from Heather’s Christian parents to the Israelis making judgments about her conversion to Judaism. She also plays the ukulele and her bathetic songs are a highlight, with subjects ranging from how “Israelis are very nosy” to “Everyone in Israel has kids”.
The bigger conflict edges into her story, even if Israelis blithely ignore the helicopters making their way to Gaza, and the sirens warning of rocket attacks. The presence of Palestinian Muslims is inserted in cleverly tacit ways, through the sounds of the call for prayer and a reminder from Heather that some of the areas she travels to with Zach are classed as “occupied territory” by the United Nations. It becomes an unspoken point of conflict in the marriage too; Hunter might have pushed the idea further but it still feels effective as an undertone.
Surfing the Holyland has oodles of charm as a production and strikes a balance, showing Israelis from an outsider’s point of view without objectifying them – though they are certainly satirised.
It does not always feel deep enough in its switches between light and dark, and the analogy between surfing and Heather’s life – from her drowning in a new culture to learning to navigate its waves – does not feel penetrating. Zach stays a caricature and we cannot believe in the marriage. When it all comes to a head, we do not care enough; it is Heather we root for, and the awakening she experiences on her surfboard.
• At Caravanserai, Brighton, until 4 June. Brighton fringe also continues to 4 June
