Comedy night: Ivor Dembina, This is not a subject for comedy

June 1, 2010 8:00 PM

 

A welcome return to the Frontline Club for Jewish Comedian Ivor Dembina with his remarkable show about the Middle East conflict ‘This is Not a Subject for Comedy’. Best described as a ‘story with jokes’,  the narrative uses humour to tell how a young Jewish man from Hendon, north London brought up to love Israel finds his support for the Jewish State challenged by his visit to the Occupied Territories.   From London to the West Bank via Auschwitz and Jerusalem we see him decide to speak out against the Occupation despite hostility from within his own Jewish community. 
 
Although the show is barely one-hour long it has been five years in the making.  It was first performed in 2004 at a small theatre in Washington DC and is now widely travelled and includes showings in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem as well as in Ramallah and Bethlehem on the West Bank
 
It recently received a four-star review in The Guardian and drew considerable public attention by being presented to an audience of MP’s and peers at the Houses of Parliament, the first time in the history of the Palace of Westminster that a comedian has been invited to perform there. 
 
The show will be followed by a short Q & A in which Ivor Dembina will field questions and lead a discussion about how comedy can be used to tackle difficult subjects
 
For more information about the show visit Ivor Dembina’s website.