Israel Horowitz Plays

The Israel Horowitz plays – three separate plays connected by a unifying theme – offered new insights into cultural differences and misunderstandings.  Although the acoustics in the Kaye Playhouse auditorium were less than desirable, the plays, nevertheless, conveyed to the audience the importance of understanding and accepting other cultures.

In the first play, The Indian Wants The Bronx, two juvenile delinquents encounter an Indian who doesn’t speak English. The placement of the characters on the stage helped to emphasize the estrangement the Indian felt in Manhattan, as well as the American boys’ perceptions of him. For the majority of the performance, the Indian stood on stage left, while the punks remained on stage right. The only exceptions to this staging were when the boys moved closer to the Indian to interact with him. These choices helped to illuminate the existing cultural differences between the characters. Additionally, the simple scenery and costumes allowed the audience to concentrate on the actors and the dialogue.

Initially, the plot reads as shallow and simple; however, when given more thoughtful consideration, a deeper meaning emerges. The play demonstrates the harmful effects of misunderstanding cultural differences. When the Indian does not understand the language spoken by the boys, the boys speak louder as if this will help the Indian to better understand what they are saying. This is a common misconception, which leads to frustration for all people involved in the conversation. The playwright clearly shows the effects of this frustration when Murph, one of the punks, takes out a knife and hurts the Indian. The boys prefer to torment the Indian rather than assist him in his quest to find his son in the Bronx.

The third play, Beirut Rocks, depicts a group of students studying in Beirut while Beirut is under attack. The mix of cultures and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict complicate the students’ relationships. This controversial play elicited strong reactions from the audience. It addressed the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in an emotionally provocative way. When Nassa said, “The world would be better if it were free of Jews,” many members of the audience responded, “oooooh.” My interpretation was that the audience was not adequately prepared for such an intolerant opinion.

All three of Israel Horowitz’s plays were commentaries on the inability of humans to accept people of other cultures. Conflicts occur amongst many different cultures in many different countries, and Horowitz’s plays illustrate the need for resolutions to these conflicts.