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Absurd
Drama
Poetic Drama
Subject:
Struggle
The Land of Israel
Love
History
Survival
Old Age
Death
War
Text in:
he
English 
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Set in the living room of an elderly Israeli couple on the fateful morning of October 7th, the play follows Rivkaleh and Eliyahu, of the founding generation of the state of Israel. Their fervent desire to contribute in combat clashes with the limitations of their advanced age. In a spirit of the absurd, they attempt to decipher reality: they don’t understand why time has stopped, where the grocery store has gone, or what is the burnt smell permeating their living room. Their personal memories mix with the collective ones, as they cling to their enduring love story in the face of loss and trauma. Thus the play illuminates the emotional and psychological landscape of Israel today.
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Productions
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Premierre
2025
Tzavta
director: Sharon Stark
Production page
theaters
Tzavta
More in Israel
“Homefront” – A Love Story Under Fire: A play that touches the heart and collective memory
The new play ‘Homefront – A Love Story Under Fire’ by Sharon Stark is an intimate, sensitive and precise work, one that succeeds in touching the raw nerve of current Israeli reality through the personal story of two elderly people.
Stark, who wrote the play together with Ruth Bornstein and also directed it, built a work in which the frontline and the rear are mixed, and private memory becomes a collective memory.
At the center of the plot are Rivka’le and Eliyahu – an elderly couple who have already been through a thing or two in the history of the state of Israel and with each other. Their daily lives are busy enough dealing with health and memory problems, until on a bitter and fateful day, October 7th, they sit in front of the television and watch the terrible news, and try to make sense of the events that are happening around them.While Eliyahu asks to re-enlist in the army and fight like he did in his youth, Rivka’le tries to remind him of his age, his limitations, and the dangers of the situation.
The play examines the question of how two people in advanced age, find themselves anew when the ground shakes under their feet. The desire to contribute, to fight for their homeland, collides with the limitations of the body and memory. Forgetting, dementia and confusion are mixed with a chaotic reality of war – until it is difficult to distinguish between what is internal and what is external.
Sharon Stark’s direction is tight and precise, one that guides the actors to flourish and shine. Shiri Gadni in the role of Rivka’le delivers a performance that is painfully touching, rich in nuances, body movements and facial expressions. She excels at embodying both the elderly woman and the young woman she once was, thereby giving the character depth and multi-layeredness. Next to her, Yura Kazantsev as Eliyahu subtly embodies the movement between confusion, a desire for action, and longing for the past. The chemistry between the two creates a warm and authentic bond that manages to keep the audience captivated throughout the entire play.
“Homefront” is a play that reminds us that the front does not end at the border line – it penetrates into the houses, into relationships, and into the soul. This is a play that manages to be emotional without falling into kitsch, to make you smile gently in the midst of the pain, and above all – to leave the viewer with thoughts and a sense of deep closeness to the characters. We laugh despite the situation, from small and subtle nuances, out of affection for our heroes, who, with all their physical and cognitive problems, are larger than life heroes.
The bottom line: This is a fascinating and touching theatrical work, thanks to the precise text, sensitive direction and excellent acting. “Homefront – A Love Story Under Fire” is living proof that even in the rear, even in old age, the great dramas of our lives take place – and they deserve to be told.
Theater Review- https://biluynaim.com/%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%A3-%D7%91%D7%A6%D7%95%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%90/ by Aviva Rosen September 21, 2025
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