War can sometimes be hard to grasp when two much information and facts are forced upon you. You end up knowing the statistics, the shock value, but fail to feel. To not only be able to put yourself in their shoes but then walk in them also.

What makes When The Bulbul Stopped Singing (by Raja Shehadeh, adapted for stage by David Greig) special is it's intimate approach, a one man show, where you aren't just faced with food shortage, images of death but instead given insight to how war effects one man daily, hourly. How victims of war survive not only the obvious but also the natural feelings of every human being. How they suppress anger, feelings of revenge, and remain un-resentful, whilst every day their lives are reduced, ridiculed and endangered.

The play is set in Ramallah and follows Raja (Christopher Simon) from before the Israeli troops enter his home city, until after they have gone. Raja tells the story, of how this affected him as a man. How he paced his living room for exercise, and coped with the invasion of his own, and his family's human rights. I can only applaud Simon for his performance in which he carries this show through to its 1hr 15mins end.

But I must point out that this show has no frills and you will have to use your imagination if you are to find its magic.