Zaffé review

Upon arrival to Zaffé, we are greeted by a host who tells us to take a seat inside. There are six long tables on either side of the room and there is plenty of conversation and chatter taking place. Once all the guests have settled, we are officially welcomed to the zaffé with a chorus of Arabic call and responses.

Stemming from the Muslim culture, zaffé is traditionally a procession at a wedding that is filled with love, warmth and energy. Except tonight's wedding has no bride or groom. The people in this room are the bride and groom and we celebrate this community and the love, warmth and energy that is present here.

Conceived and created by Stéphanie Ghaja, throughout the course of this 75-minute show, we are treated to a variety of performances: some music and singing, some dancing, some storytelling, some that is live and some that is virtual, projected on to a screen. The storytelling moments were a great opportunity to learn about the family of our performers, with the highlight being Ayman Kaake’s heart-warming recollection of his grandmother and how jasmine leaves will always remind him of her, as he makes some traditional coffee.

There is a high level of audience participation in this production, and while I generally love this, I am not a fan of dancing. Fortunately, my plus one was also along the same train of thought so as the vast majority got up to shake their bodies to a slapdash belly dancing lesson in the middle of the hall, we remained seated with the rest of the party poopers. To me, the request to go up and dance did not feel earned and nor did I feel comfortable going up. Perhaps slightly more care and acknowledgment of the audience is needed to help build that sense of community so that everyone feels at ease to join in.

The design elements in Zaffé are incredibly impressive and the attention to detail is noticed. Lara Week and Kaake have tables decorated with an assortment of mismatched glasses, plates, flowers and battery-operated candles of different heights and sizes, giving the impression that this is an impromptu celebration in an "abandoned building" in Beirut. Small lamps are lit up with a bundle of chords and cables scattered around the space, a gentle reminder of how quickly this can all end if the power goes out.

Zaffé might not have hit the right notes with me, and whether this is due to my own doing or something the creators need to consider is debatable. But its message can't be denied; despite the world of uncertainty we live in, particularly with everything happening in the Middle East, life continues, love continues and the partying will never stop.

SHOW DETAILS

Venue: North Melbourne Town Hall, 521 Queensberry St, North Melbourne
Season: until 30 November | 8:30pm
Duration: 75 minutes
Tickets: $35 Full | $20 Conc
Bookings: Arts House

Image credit: Gregory Lorenzutti