hen it comes to the theatre, controversy and debate are supposed to be things that are welcome. After all, good art stirs opinions and provokes thoughts, doesn’t it?

Apparently that perspective is debatable, especially when it focuses solely on a real-life story entailing the death of its main character. The play is My Name Is Rachel Corrie, which debuted in April 2005 at the Royal Court Theatre in London. And while it won awards for best director and best new play in Londontown, it’s had a hard time being picked up in North America. It seems that Londoners are far more liberal minded than us across the pond, as both New York City and Toronto decided not to put on the show, after outside pressures.

Rachel Corrie was a 23 year old America who traveled to the Gaza Strip in 2003 as a member of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM). In her attempt to stop the destruction of houses in the area, she was run over by an armoured bulldozer operated by the Israel Defense Forces and crushed to death. The play is an example of verbatim theatre, relying entirely on Corrie’s diary and emails she sent home while overseas.

Last year, Toronto's CanStage decided not to put on the show after pressure from some board members, who allegedly found the play to be “anti-Semitic.” Nonetheless, the Havana Theatre in the Commercial Drive area has taken on the play, which opens January 25.

The move on their behalf is a bold one, and has garnered a particularly strong-worded email expressing disappointment, stating that if they decided to produce the show, the patron would no longer attend the theatre or dine at their restaurant. Still, theatre manager Patrick O'Doherty remains confident that his theatre won’t suffer as a result of his move to take on the dubious play. He says that the fact that Havana is a small theatre lacking a board of directors (with potentially powerful and easily-threatened CEOs) causes any fears that Toronto and New York had to be quelled. And while Europeans expect theater to be political and edgy, North Americans have come to expect mere entertainment from the show. At Havana, expect to get European, as this play will shock you, shock you, shock you (fans of Empire Records will undoubtedly love that reference).

A week after its opening, a local rabbi will be on hand for a post-performance discourse which will allow members of the audience to ask questions and learn more from the evening. On February 3, Corrie’s parents will make a special appearance and speak about their daughter, who’s heroic story about someone so familiar – she could’ve been plucked right from West Van – dealing with something so foreign will surely open your eyes to the tragic world around you. After all, the sweet isn’t as sweet without the sour.