Wot? No Fish!!

A lanky self-titled ‘Schlump’ (kind of like a Schmuck but not as useless) in a glaringly un-pressed suit, Danny Braverman introduces himself through offering the entering audience Gefilte Fish and Charin. This is quite delicious and intrinsically linked to his story which is as much about being Jewish as it is about love, family, marriage and living in London between 1926 and 1982.  He reminds us a number of times that the Charin is like life – sweet and sour.

His material is a rich and reliable selection of his great uncle Ab Solomans’ beautifully penned ink sketches drawn on small brown paper pay packets, many with the added coloring and detailing of paint.  It is a selected part of a chronicle of the married life of Braverman’s great aunt Celie and uncle Ab Solomans. 

Braverman assumes a relaxed and comfortable way of engaging and informing the audience.  These beautiful little weekly illustrations of day-to-day domestic life are projected onto a screen and their telling detail is talked about.

And yes this work does that magic thing of making the ordinary extraordinary.  Simply put together, it is unadorned storytelling.

As with any good storytelling it comes from the heart and speaks to the heart and the words and pictures can be a springboard for one’s own interpretation and musings on one’s own experiences and understandings and insights.  Sometimes it is what is not said that provokes the most acute, personalized response.

And the final work (if I remember correctly) has the caption; ‘This road goes uphill both ways.’  It is a drawing of Celie and Ab as an old and stooped couple that is poignantly reminiscent of the famous photograph of two children ‘A Walk to the Paradise Garden’ by W. Eugene Smith.

Beautiful clear and succinct, this wonderful evening of pondering small delicate artworks that speak of many things is well worth treating older relatives and friends to, most especially if they are Jewish.

Suzanne Sandow