Alaa Shehada’s ‘The Bridge’ comes to London’s Bush Theatre: the Fringe First winner tells the journey of olive oil from Jenin

Palestinian comedian and actor Alaa Shehada will return to the stage of London’s Bush Theatre this October with “The Bridge”, his show that won the Scotsman Fringe First award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. As BroadwayWorld announces, the show will run from 28 October to 11 November, with an official press night on 2 November. Written and performed by Shehada himself, and co-written and directed by Sam Beale, “The Bridge” is his return to the Bush after his debut “The Horse of Jenin”, which also won a Fringe First award.

Everything starts from a family ritual: every year, Alaa’s mother sends a gift from Jenin to her sister in Amman — a container of olive oil from his grandfather’s olive trees. And this year, like every year, he is delivering it himself. With a large yellow container, he leaves home together with thousands of other Palestinians. To make this journey, he must cross “the bridge” in the heart of the Jordan Valley — the only route Palestinians in the West Bank are allowed to use to leave or to return home. But the container leaks and the oil drips throughout the journey, through border checkpoints, the Israeli occupation and on to Jordan.

According to BroadwayWorld, “The Bridge” is a deeply human story about family and connection, hope and joy, set against the brutal truths of colonialism and Britain’s broken promises in Palestine. The writer and performer brings his energetic mix of storytelling, stand-up and physical comedy to the story of his journey and of the other travellers who join him on this strange trip.

Standard tickets cost from £15 to £35, with a £5 discount on tickets over £20 for students, pensioners, disabled people and the unemployed. Bookings are made online or through the Box Office number 020 8743 5050.