Thirty years ago, Oscar-winning actress Vanessa Redgrave sent shockwaves through Hollywood when she insinuated that she was a supporter of the Palestinian cause. It established an enduring connection with the Arab world, and she made it official when she used her Oscar acceptance speech to speak out against "Zionist hoodlums". She was, of course, booed.
This weekend, Redgrave makes her regional debut. She performs in the theatrical production of "A Word I Loved" in Beirut this weekend.
Joining Redgrave in the production will be Mariam Said, who was married to the late Palestinian scholar Edward Said and whose mother – Wadad Makdisi Cortas – wrote the memoir that inspired the production. The story centers around political changes in Lebanon following the Balfour Declaration in 1917.
Redgrave said that she hopes the performance will achieve "a state of peace, a state of love, a state of being," according to The Daily Star .
The production first premiered in 2012 at the United Kingdom's Brighton Festival, where it played to a full house. "A World I Loved" was adapted into a performance after Said gave a copy of her mother's memoir to Redgrave. Redgrave decided to adapt it for the stage.
Timed to coincide with Ahlia School's centennial celebration, the Beirut performance is particularly fitting as Cortas served as principle of the institution for four decades.
Said's daughter Najla will also perform in the production. A live musical score will accompany the play performed by pianist Karim Said, cellist Sary Khalife, violinist Nabih Boulos, and a chorus of singers from Ahliah School and the Lebanese American University. Video projections will accompany the live performance as well.
In 1977, Redgrave financed and narrated the documentary film "The Palestinian," which discussed Palestine and the efforts of the Palestinian Liberation Organization. The same year, she starred in the film "Julia," for which she won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
In the days leading up to the Academy Awards ceremony, members of the far-right Jewish Defense League burned effigies of Redgrave and picketed the event.
In her acceptance speech, Redgrave expressed thanks to Hollywood for refusing "to be intimidated by the threats of a small bunch of Zionist hoodlums – whose behavior is an insult to the stature of Jews all over the world and to their great and heroic record of struggle against fascism and oppression."
She was loudly booed as she made the comments.
Redgrave was widely criticized for her comments and her support for Palestine. She was widely suspected to have been shunned by Hollywood since. Still, she went on to perform in numerous other films and stage productions, winning various awards including two Golden Globes and a BAFTA.
"A Word I Loved" will be performed at the Issam Fares Hall at the American University of Beirut Medical Center on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at 8 p.m.