Naomi and Norma - Cameri Theatre

Naomi and Norma – a moving Israeli comedy by Irit Kaplan and Yoav Bar-Lev. The Cameri Theatre's production "Naomi and Norma" is a moving, funny and deeply human Israeli comedy by Irit Kaplan and Yoav Bar-Lev. At its center is a seemingly impossible encounter between two utterly different women, which turns into a surprising journey of friendship, trust and a new beginning. Naomi Dekel, a recently divorced woman from Eilat trying to rebuild her life after the separation, is forced to move to Metula and take on a new job: caring for Norma Shlein, a once-brilliant lawyer and now a lonely elderly woman — sharp as a razor, bitter, opinionated and remarkably stubborn. Norma has already earned a dubious reputation for successfully driving away every caregiver sent to her, one after another. Almost no one manages to stay by her side, and Naomi quickly discovers that her new task is far more complicated than she imagined. But just as she's trying to find her place in Norma's home and cope with the stormy relationship forming between them, another trouble lands on her. Eitan, her ex-husband, discovers that Naomi left their daughters in a friend's care, turns to social services, and threatens to open a legal battle for custody. Fearing she'll lose her daughters, Naomi drops everything and rushes back to Eilat. For the long trip she is forced to take Norma along as well — entirely against her will. From here begins a shared journey full of clashes, arguments and power struggles. Naomi and Norma are not willing to give in, and both are used to running their lives strictly by their own rules. Every encounter between them sparks a new confrontation, but it is precisely through this constant friction that the walls each of them built around herself gradually begin to crack. Behind the cynicism, anger and stubbornness, pain, loneliness, disappointments and long-forgotten hopes are revealed. The charged bond between the two women takes an unexpected turn and becomes an extraordinary relationship — funny, touching and full of compassion. "Naomi and Norma" is a moving comedy about friendship found in the last place you'd expect, about family, choice and the ability to start over. It is a story about two women forced to look their past in the eye, to reexamine the decisions they made, and to discover that sometimes the very person hardest for us to bear is the one who can change our lives. The meeting between Naomi and Norma begins as a clash of wills — and leads them both to a place neither of them dared dream she would reach. Director: Tamar Kinan. Set design: Adam Keller. Costumes: Orna Smorgonsky. Music: Dafna Kinan. Lighting: Nadav Barnea. Dramaturgy: Shachar Pinkas. Assistant director: Karin Sigal. Cast: Rivka Michaeli, Irit Kaplan, Nadav Asulin, Shaham Shiner, Osnat Ben Yehuda, Shani Shaouli. Naomi and Norma is a new comedy by the creators of the hit show 'A Genius in a Cage.' Poster design: Shane Horowitz.