'Shards of Laughter': Giving people permission to laugh through painful topics

The play 'Shards of Laughter' challenges the notion that Holocaust themes must be approached with unremitting solemnity. Actor Gabi Lev opens the performance with a direct address to the audience: “I give you permission to laugh.” This invitation sets the tone for a show that skillfully tempers profound tragedy with genuine humor and unexpected narrative turns.

Created by Lev, who has decades of theatrical experience and co-founded the Theatre Company Jerusalem, the play is a deeply personal endeavor. It emerged following the death of her mother, Malka, who was a Holocaust survivor and lived to be 100. The production is a collaboration with the Theater and Theology troupe, founded by Yael Valier, with whom Lev shares a passion for exploring human experience through Jewish history and culture.

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I give you permission to laugh.

Unlike Lev's typically collaborative works, 'Shards of Laughter' is more intimate and minimalist. The narrative jumps between time periods, beginning in 1924 Munkács, a town with Hungarian roots, moving through the Holocaust years, and reaching present-day Australia. The play recounts the vibrant Jewish life between the wars, the remarkable story of how Lev's parents met, and the experiences of Holocaust survivors in Sydney after World War II.

Lev's performance is central to the show's impact. Her artistry in conveying fragments of her family's Holocaust history and giving voice to deceased relatives is described as masterful. The audience remains captivated throughout her heartfelt journey, witnessing her consummate skill in navigating such emotionally charged material.

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If not for Auschwitz, I wouldn’t be here