Elan Zafir
Written by Philip Ridley
Directed by Matthew Gardiner
Tender Napalm makes its Washington debut in a transfixing, intimate and savage exploration of love in the face of heartbreak. A pair of young lovers creates a fantastical, often violent, world through an interweaving dialogue of increasing perplexity. At the heart of their fantasies lies an unimaginable tragedy that both bonds and breaks the two. Fused with raw energy, the couple blurs the distinction of truth and illusion in this battle-of-the-sexes wild ride. Ultimately beautiful and richly moving, Tender Napalm is a complex and layered romance for the modern era.
Heart-stopping…
intoxicating. London Times
"There’s pleasure to be had from the musicality of the fanciful words they spit and seethe at one another, the actors’ innate athleticism, and the beat-by-beat emotional minutiae that flickers across their faces....Harris and Zafir remain committed and engaging. "
Chris Klimek — Washington City Paper
"There’s an intense charge between Harris and Zafir, whose interactions can alternately feel like sparring, foreplay, a grand inside joke, and a sadistic mind game."
Missy Frederick — Washingtonian
"The give and take between Zafir and Harris in their verbal tête-à-tête and physical sparring is palpable, the trust between the two is wholly human, and the risks each takes with his/her tactics and objectives with each new scenario is thrilling to watch."
Rick Westerkamp — DC Metro Theatre Arts
"Laura C. Harris and Elan Zafir deliver these crazy fantasies like chess players, listening like thieves and fixing each other with strategizing stares — that is, when they’re not caressing like lovers or brawling like wrestlers."
Nelson Pressley — Washington Post
"Together, Harris and Zafir give organic performances. With each insult, kiss, embrace, pursuit and clash, we see their relationship reach a new level of depth...it's fascinating to watch Harris and Zafir come together as couple."
Benjamin — Tomchik
"Laura C. Harris and Elan Zafir play this doomed pair of lovers with ferocious abandon. They capture not only the pair’s sadomasochistic toying with each other but also their occasional longing for a different world... Zafir’s performance is an athletic tour de force."