I watched the play tonight. I was very much impressed by its dialogue and its execution. It was raw, yet sensitive, amazingly rich in content and thought provoking! It felt all too real and was a powerful reminder of the complexity and contradictions of humankind. A very sensitive piece of art. I highly recommend it!
I highly recommend seeing this play. The small, intimate venue and outstanding acting drew us in, allowing us to truly feel what life might be like in a war zone. The story powerfully conveyed the hardships people endure — while also highlighting human resilience, dignity, and the deep need for joy and normalcy, even under horrific conditions. I literally laughed and cried. It helped me better empathize with my fellow human beings and sparked meaningful conversations in our family about the importance of standing up for human rights.
The courage of the director in selecting this powerful play, the skill and versatility of the cast and the strength of the story itselt remake Them a hauntingly memorable experience. The humor and horror of life and living in an active war zone will draw you in. The reality of the genocide in Gaza suddenly moved from two to three dimensional for me. Experience this work of art if you can.
Written by Samah Sabawi, and directed by Malek Najjar, **THEM** is a powerful and timely play about a couple and their baby trying to live a normal life during wartime in an unnamed part of the Middle East. Najjar’s direction focuses sharply on the subtle emotional conflict between the main characters, highlighting both their tenderness toward each other and the tensions that arise as other characters in their lives plan to leave the country. Najjar effectively stages the 90-minute play on a minimal but atmospheric set, allowing the audience to focus on the characters and their difficult decisions. The play moves with a compelling rhythm, balancing moments of humor and drama that emphasize the complexity of their situation. Complementing the story is a haunting and poignant musical score, which adds to the emotional impact. The production successfully captures the characters’ emotional journeys, which was evident at the performance I attended; the audience sat in a moment of tearful silence after the final curtain.
“Them” is a very powerful reminder that the people living in war zones are human beings. These are people trying to live their lives, take care of their children, and, yes, have a good time. Doesn’t everyone deserve this possibility?
The script is very touching. There’s fun and great character development. The acting is very good.
I encourage people in the Portland area to see it when it is performed in the Ellyn Bye Theatre at Portland Center Stage Aug. 14-23.
what a deeply heartfelt and timely play, as human representations, the characters faced vital but impossible type choices. the line that stuck with me was:
“our morals are relative to our needs.” that’s tragic.
STOP starving babies, children, and families for power and politics of war. this play was a stark reminder of what is real, what is true.
Thank you Malek and family for sharing this important story.
Susan Rinker and Henry Schwarz
August 16, 2025, at 5:48 PM
People of Portland, Don’t miss a powerfully relevant and poignantly presented production of “Them” currently at Portland Center Stage, August 16 -23.
This brilliantly written play by Samah Sabawi and directed by Malek Najjar captures the complexity , pain and impossible choices Middle Eastern families face in war zones such as Gaza and Syria. This takes the audience from recent graphic news of genocide into the inner lives of people struggling to survive with human values of love and sacrifice.
I saw the show on July 26th and I second so many of the things that other audience members have said. The play is powerful, the music is visceral, the acting is so authentic and vulnerable. I truly felt that I was there in the room with the human beings going through this strangely normal then suddenly horrific experience. I laughed, I cried, I was stunned. And after the actors took their bows, I and easily half of the audience members sat in our seats for several minutes before we got up and left the space. I am still thinking about and absorbing this powerful human story. This show is not to be missed.
The production of the play, Them, was amazing and so powerful. The characters were so full of life and humor and love. It showed the precious humanity of Palestinians, often missed in the horrific lists of names or even just the numbers of casualties. In Them, we saw a story behind a number. It also woke me to another devastating side casualty of this horrific war on Gaza, which I am curious to look into regarding the factual basis of the child bride “industry”. Thank you for bringing this to Portland. I look forward to further shows and publicizing them widely!
I saw the show on August 21st. I am still thinking about this play because I was so incredibly moved. The horror and the humanity shown side by side was stunning. As a North American Jew the timing of this play feels critical. The horrors unfolding daily in Gaza and the West Bank are being brought to the world in sound bites and social media posts that are devoid of the human experience. This play brought to life the day to day experiences of horror and love. Thank you to the Director and the actors for your courage to bring this play to life. It is so important
Just watched this show tonight. It was so powerful and moving. The acting and directing were excellent. Definitely recommend.
I watched the play tonight. I was very much impressed by its dialogue and its execution. It was raw, yet sensitive, amazingly rich in content and thought provoking! It felt all too real and was a powerful reminder of the complexity and contradictions of humankind. A very sensitive piece of art. I highly recommend it!
I highly recommend seeing this play. The small, intimate venue and outstanding acting drew us in, allowing us to truly feel what life might be like in a war zone. The story powerfully conveyed the hardships people endure — while also highlighting human resilience, dignity, and the deep need for joy and normalcy, even under horrific conditions. I literally laughed and cried. It helped me better empathize with my fellow human beings and sparked meaningful conversations in our family about the importance of standing up for human rights.
The courage of the director in selecting this powerful play, the skill and versatility of the cast and the strength of the story itselt remake Them a hauntingly memorable experience. The humor and horror of life and living in an active war zone will draw you in. The reality of the genocide in Gaza suddenly moved from two to three dimensional for me. Experience this work of art if you can.
Written by Samah Sabawi, and directed by Malek Najjar, **THEM** is a powerful and timely play about a couple and their baby trying to live a normal life during wartime in an unnamed part of the Middle East. Najjar’s direction focuses sharply on the subtle emotional conflict between the main characters, highlighting both their tenderness toward each other and the tensions that arise as other characters in their lives plan to leave the country. Najjar effectively stages the 90-minute play on a minimal but atmospheric set, allowing the audience to focus on the characters and their difficult decisions. The play moves with a compelling rhythm, balancing moments of humor and drama that emphasize the complexity of their situation. Complementing the story is a haunting and poignant musical score, which adds to the emotional impact. The production successfully captures the characters’ emotional journeys, which was evident at the performance I attended; the audience sat in a moment of tearful silence after the final curtain.
“Them” is a very powerful reminder that the people living in war zones are human beings. These are people trying to live their lives, take care of their children, and, yes, have a good time. Doesn’t everyone deserve this possibility?
The script is very touching. There’s fun and great character development. The acting is very good.
I encourage people in the Portland area to see it when it is performed in the Ellyn Bye Theatre at Portland Center Stage Aug. 14-23.
what a deeply heartfelt and timely play, as human representations, the characters faced vital but impossible type choices. the line that stuck with me was:
“our morals are relative to our needs.” that’s tragic.
STOP starving babies, children, and families for power and politics of war. this play was a stark reminder of what is real, what is true.
Thank you Malek and family for sharing this important story.
Susan Rinker and Henry Schwarz
August 16, 2025, at 5:48 PM
People of Portland, Don’t miss a powerfully relevant and poignantly presented production of “Them” currently at Portland Center Stage, August 16 -23.
This brilliantly written play by Samah Sabawi and directed by Malek Najjar captures the complexity , pain and impossible choices Middle Eastern families face in war zones such as Gaza and Syria. This takes the audience from recent graphic news of genocide into the inner lives of people struggling to survive with human values of love and sacrifice.
I saw the show on July 26th and I second so many of the things that other audience members have said. The play is powerful, the music is visceral, the acting is so authentic and vulnerable. I truly felt that I was there in the room with the human beings going through this strangely normal then suddenly horrific experience. I laughed, I cried, I was stunned. And after the actors took their bows, I and easily half of the audience members sat in our seats for several minutes before we got up and left the space. I am still thinking about and absorbing this powerful human story. This show is not to be missed.
The production of the play, Them, was amazing and so powerful. The characters were so full of life and humor and love. It showed the precious humanity of Palestinians, often missed in the horrific lists of names or even just the numbers of casualties. In Them, we saw a story behind a number. It also woke me to another devastating side casualty of this horrific war on Gaza, which I am curious to look into regarding the factual basis of the child bride “industry”. Thank you for bringing this to Portland. I look forward to further shows and publicizing them widely!
I saw the show on August 21st. I am still thinking about this play because I was so incredibly moved. The horror and the humanity shown side by side was stunning. As a North American Jew the timing of this play feels critical. The horrors unfolding daily in Gaza and the West Bank are being brought to the world in sound bites and social media posts that are devoid of the human experience. This play brought to life the day to day experiences of horror and love. Thank you to the Director and the actors for your courage to bring this play to life. It is so important