Nadav Menuhin

15/11/2021

Monday, 15 November 2021, 08:13 Updated: 08:20

The new yes series is one of the best seen on screen this year

Like the comedic "heiress", "playing and singing" also dives with a lot of love for oriental music and its old symbols, and like it is built on familiar patterns - but is conducted at a completely different pace.

A delicate series has been woven here, which loves its protagonists and stays away, most of the time, from exaggerations

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A pleasant surprise.

Bar Tsabari (Photo: courtesy of yes)

After children taking the law into their own hands ("Bnei Or", "Alumim", "Blackspace") and comedies about barely functioning businesses ("Messiah", "First Cashier", "The Store That Has Everything"), it turns out that the big TV story of the moment It is the world of Israeli music, and in particular stars who are trying to be born under the heavy shadow of their parents. After the experience of Keshet's "heiress", and before "Echo of Your Voice" which will air here at the end of the month here 11, came last weekend "Yes' playing and singing", created by Oded Noy and directed by Yevgeny Roman, one of the pleasant surprises of the period.

Like the comedic "heiress", "playing and singing" also dives with a lot of love for oriental music and its old symbols, and like it is built on familiar patterns - but is conducted at a completely different pace. A delicate series has been woven here, which loves its protagonists and stays away, most of the time, from exaggerations.

At the center of the story is Gili Hadad (Bar Tsabari, "Johnny"), once a prodigy who grew up in his glorious father's club, and today a young man who dreams of breaking out and meanwhile carries his family on his back, with an emphasis on his mother (Dafna Dekel) and two younger brothers.

The day he is supposed to come in to finally record what he hopes will be his breakout song, his gambling father dies, and may have been murdered, leaving behind huge debts to the gray market man Yachi (Sasson Gabay).

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Plays and sings (Photo: courtesy of yes)

Instead of paying what he is unable to pay, he decides to accept, with no choice, a counter-offer from Yachi - to work for him as a chauffeur in exchange for repaying the debt. The older boss, who terrorizes his surroundings, and the frustrated young man whose future is denied him, slowly discover things they like about each other, in a kind of slightly distorted relationship between a son-in-law and a father-in-law, in which Gili may still manage to fulfill himself, while his private familyology Continues to be turbulent.

Three things make "Playing and Singing" a television experience: the first of which is an excellent cast acting, and above all Bar Sabri who after a wonderful debut album he released last year is also revealed as a charismatic and captivating actor. Sabri demonstrates an abundance of abilities and like his TV character, by virtue of his presence he also helps the other characters around him to progress. And even so - when wrapped in an elite team that includes names like Sasson Gabay, Dafna Dekel, Yoav Levy and others, with a privilege like Joy Rieger in a secondary role, it's hard to fall.

Second, although the plot incorporates extreme developments at times, the characters themselves are well written, consistent and delicately and believably crafted.

Youth, underworld, poverty and entertainment stars are themes that are often caricatured, but here one gets a much more convincing look, which also respects the characters at the center of the story.

Otherwise, this tale could not be believed.

And third - this is the music.

Every episode Sabri sings at least one song, and as mentioned he is a great singer.

Legends join in on guest appearances like Yehuda Caesar, Eden Hasson, Yoav Yitzhak and even Yishai Levy who arrives at a particularly moving scene at the end of the third episode.

The whole thing turns out to be a song of praise for a glorious musical heritage.

Of course, "Playing and Singing" has its own flaws: too slow a pace, a few puzzling plot tails, and also too little criticism of Yachi's character, who after all is not exactly the best fairy from the legends.

And yet, this is a real celebration and one of the best Israeli series seen on screen in recent months.

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• Sabri Bar