San Francisco: Theater Review, 'Habibi'

posted on: Oct 24, 2010

Written by Sharif Abu-Hamdeh and directed by Campo alumnus Omar Metwally, “Habibi” can be as hard to pin down as it is riveting. The second offering in Campo and Intersection’s trilogy by first-time playwrights – after Chinaka Hodge’s remarkable “Mirrors in Every Corner” in March – the play that opened Monday is a noteworthy debut.

Like “Mirrors,” “Habibi” focuses on a family divided. In this case, the family may be somewhat accidental, thrown together in the chaos of fleeing the Israeli-occupied territories.

Two years out of high school and recently fired as a barista, Tariq (Aleph Ayin) is a rebel a long way from finding his cause. He’s desperate to escape the cramped Mission District apartment – a sharp-edged construct by Tanya Orellana – and old-country paternalism of his museum security guard father Mohammed (Paul Santiago). But he doesn’t know exactly what he’s rebelling against – or for.

Despite the title, there’s nothing “belove-able” about the sulking, antisocial Tariq, except when he dreams of the mother who left long ago (Nora el Samahy as a vision of cosmopolitan Palestinian womanhood). But Ayin invests the role with a naked vulnerability that makes him appealing. The tenderness beneath Santiago’s hard shell creates a magnetic tension between them.

The art-theft lectures by Nadia, el Samahy’s comic-poignant art historian, turn out to connect to the men’s story beyond their thematic implications about cultural displacement. But even though you may see what’s coming well before it happens, it wouldn’t be fair to give away Abu-Hamdeh’s intriguing plot twists.

Metwally orchestrates the emotional subtext with a fine hand, supported by Aubrey Millen’s sharp projections and sinuous music by Aswat: Bay Area Arabic Music Ensemble (directed by Rachid Halihal). There are aspects of the story that may not add up, as Nadia suggests at the end. Abu-Hamdeh may have thrown in a red herring or three. Or not. The script and performances are strong enough to make you want to see it again to find out.

Robert Hurwitt
San Francisco Chronicle Theater Critic