The play “Neighbors” surprises its audience from the start. Two actors- Amnon Wolf and Yuval Cohen enter by tearing through paper curtains and land onto the stage. However the real surprise of this play, -which premiered as part of the main competition at the Haifa International Childrens’ Theatre Festival,- was with the inherent simplicity that gave its creative idea such power.

The director Roy Segev with actors Wolf and Cohen wrote a story about two neighbors who are completely different in character and behavior,- style Neil Simon’s “Odd Couple” -that because of their circumstance must learn to live together. The quality of the production is through the way the creators’ chose to present it- Acting without words, polished movement and mimicry, minimilistic design and original music, producing a Chaplinesque style of innocence. The production won almost all the awards, including Best Production, Best Direction and Best Actor.

Wolf who creates the wild and unruly neighbor while Cohen the reserved and tidy neighbor, succeeded with the help of their accurate acting to build a rolling relationship and plot

Filled with humor and originality. The combination of the meticulous movement of Cohen,- who has affirmed his place as a quality actor in childrens’ theatre, along with the clowning buffoonery of Wolf -an actor in the adult theater realm who recently has begun presenting for children, is done subtly and gently manages to affect. Espescially memorable is when Wolf tries to resuscitate an imaginary bee that has stung his neighbor to the delight of the audience.

The social messages of the play regarding communication and personal relationships provided an intensely emotional and enjoyable experience.