Comic Drama
Musical
Satire Cabaret
Subject:
Biography
History
Arab-Israeli Conflict

English

YOUSEF
Synopsis

Setting: Jerusalem, Israel, 2023.

Could an Israeli-Palestinian actor star in the role of Herzl, the founding father of Zionism? Yousef is a script which deals with some of the heaviest of dilemmas: national and religious identity, the eternal conflict between politics and art, and the sacrifice one must make as they fight for their dreams.

Yousef (34), a strikingly attractive Israeli-Palestinian actor, has become a household name thanks to his comic portrayal of the gentle and subdued Arab pharmacist in a successful primetime show, The Pharmacy. Whilst he could not have imagined his current celebrity status, he is also aware of its limitations: no one sees him in the hefty dramatic roles that he knows he is capable of. Determined to step up the ladder, he joins the company of Theodor, a highly expected new play about the visionary of the Jewish state.

Rehearsals for the show progress well, but things take an unexpected turn a week before the premiere as the lead actor injures himself and is advised to step away from the production. Management is now desperate to find a replacement; they would love to get a celebrity to headline the show and boost sales, but the finance department would not oblige. Instead, they opt for the square-and-difficult company member Matan (35), who is also pursuing a career as a singer with banal songs about his military service. Dani, the burnt-out CEO, and Erez, the neurotic stage director, know that Matan is not good enough–but they settle, hoping to make the best of what they have.

Struggling to make ends meet, Yousef decides to sleep in the costume shop. He meets Nassim, a stagehand from East Jerusalem who offers him weed. Yousef happily befriends him, not knowing that he is a drug dealer. During the weekend, Yousef travels up north to see his family in Nazareth. His brother, Fadi, has a go at him for being the token Arab, second-guessing his talent – and Yousef is determined to prove him wrong.

Back at the theatre, director Erez is unhappy with Matan’s portrayal of Theodor and seems helpless. Besides his small part, Yousef is also the prompter for Matan, and Erez realises he has memorised the entire role. On the day of the presentation for the Minister of Culture, Matan has a breakdown, and Erez hastily replaces him with Yousef, who leads a particularly successful presentation. The management tries to cover this up, but the Minister is beside herself with joy and is adamant to greet the actor after the presentation. Yousef does his best to conceal his identity, but as comedies go, she inevitably finds out. To everyone’s great surprise, the Minister is completely enthusiastic about Yousef playing the part of Theodor in the show. She hails herself a huge fan of his TV show and announces to the press that she is an avid supporter of Israeli-Palestinian coexistence, of which Yousef is a perfect example.

From this moment on Yousef gets the star treatment. He is set up at a hotel in Jerusalem for the rest of the rehearsal period and is being interviewed by a reporter for a major network, who is interested in his

 life as a Christian Arab from Nazareth. Ben (55), the quirky and somewhat neurotic director of the show, and Yuri, the flamboyant costume designer both lust after Yousef, who is terribly straight.

Shani (30), a beautiful actress with luscious blond hair, plays the role of Julie, Theodor’s wife. She happens to be Matan’s real-life ex, but as Yousef settles into the role, she falls for him and finds herself in an unlikely romance. Could their relationship survive the turbulent political climate in Israel? Or would toxic dressing room gossip break it down?

Soon enough, word of the budding romance reaches everyone at the theatre. In the ladies’ dressing room, after rehearsing, the girls ask Shani about the future of her relationship with Yousef. Later, Matan walks in on Yousef and Shani kissing, and cannot control his rage.

That evening at the hotel, Yousef gets a phone call from his mother and motions to Shani to keep it down. Shani realizes that he has no intention of telling his parents about their relationship, she storms out of the room, determined to end this relationship.

Despite the offstage drama, the last days of rehearsals continue as planned – until a police officer comes in to arrest Nassim, the stagehand, for drug dealing. To the company’s shock, he demands that Yousef follow him to the police station.

Seeing that Yousef has been arrested for possible criminal activity, the Minister of Culture calls the theatre and demands that he be dismissed at once. Yousef spends a night in jail. With the help of his solicitor brother, he is released from custody the next morning for lack of evidence. He is eager to return to the theatre, only to find out that he is suspended due to his relationship with Nassim.

Director Erez is at his wits’ end. Helplessly trying to save what’s left of the show, he is appalled by Matan’s inaptitude. As soon as he finds out that Yousef has been released by the police, he drives up to Nazareth with Shani and tries to persuade him to return. Yousef’s brother and father try to meddle in, but he has had enough. He turns down Erez’s offer, and the theatre announces that the production is postponed.

A month later, Yousef arrives at Ben Gurion Airport. In his hands, he holds his passport and a one-way ticket to Berlin, where he aspires to start a new life.