How did the 1993 Middle East peace talks come to be held secretly in a castle in the middle of a forest outside Oslo?
A darkly funny and sweeping new play, OSLO tells the surprising true story of the back-channel talks, unlikely friendships and quiet heroics that led to the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords between the Israelis and Palestinians. As he did with such wit and intelligence in Blood and Gifts, J.T. Rogers presents a deeply personal story set against a complex historical canvas: a story about the individuals behind world history and their all too human ambitions. Directed by Bartlett Sher.
Diplomacy is a lovely word, suggesting the idea that with tact and perseverance humans can accommodate one another. Yeah, sure. If that seems unlikely, so does the idea that diplomacy could be the subject of a madly engrossing play, and for a similar reason: How do you make tact and accommodation rewarding? More specifically, how do you theatricalize draft treaties and position papers? Yet J. T. Rogers's Oslo, which opened on Broadway tonight in a Lincoln Center Theater production directed by Bartlett Sher, turns the negotiations that led to the Israeli-Palestinian peace accord of 1993 into gripping human drama. To the extent that it does so by making diplomacy not just interesting but moving, it's a wonder of savvy stagecraft and wily performance. It's also, quite possibly, a lie.
International diplomacy isn't easy - especially when it involves getting two warring populations to make hard concessions - and neither is 'Oslo,' J.T. Rogers' three-hour ensemble drama depicting the back-and-forth backroom negotiations leading up to the 1993 Oslo Peace Accords between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization. The play is long and talky and jam-packed with names, dates and historical exposition, but also well-crafted and nuanced, with interesting characters and even humor every now and then. The subject matter is also increasingly vital at this time of heightened instability throughout the Middle East. Under the direction of Bartlett Sher, it is presented with as much clarity and personality as possible.
2016 | Off-Broadway |
Lincoln Center Theater Original Production Off-Broadway |
2017 | Broadway |
Original Broadway Production Broadway |
2017 | West End |
West End Transfer West End |
Year | Ceremony | Category | Nominee |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Michael Aronov |
2017 | Drama Desk Awards | Outstanding Play | J.T. Rogers |
2017 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Jennifer Ehle |
2017 | Drama League Awards | Distinguished Performance Award | Jefferson Mays |
2017 | Drama League Awards | Outstanding Production of a Broadway or Off-Broadway Play | Oslo |
2017 | New York Drama Critics Circle Awards | Best Play | J.T. Rogers |
2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play | Michael Aronov |
2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding New Broadway Play | Oslo |
2017 | Outer Critics Circle Awards | Outstanding Projection Design (Play or Musical) | Benjamin Pearcy |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Direction of a Play | Bartlett Sher |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Lighting Design of a Play | Donald Holder |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Featured Role in a Play | Michael Aronov |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Play | Jefferson Mays |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play | Jennifer Ehle |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Play | J.T. Rogers |
2017 | Tony Awards | Best Scenic Design of a Play | Michael Yeargan |
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