The Smell of Almonds

A play in one act charting the dark and unexpected secrets which hide behind the shattered and disjointed memories and imaginings of an old man and his cat.

The play tells the story of Yitzhak, a migrant Jewish worker in the bulb fields near Amsterdam, his cat, Pushka, his son, Ibrahim, and his wife, Esther.  Despite the apparently placid exterior of a man in the autumn of his life, Yitzhak’s past has been scarred by violent and tragic events, both internal and external, which rise at random to the surface of his deteriorating understanding of where and who he is - and what he may have done.

What is the nature of truth, justice, and the price of survival?

You can listen to an audio version of the play by clicking here

The cast was:

Yitzhak - Neil Davies

Pushka (the cat)/Prosecutor - Andrew Hopkins

Esther - Janet Holloway

Rachel - Clare Hovey

This play was originally written for a writers' group at the Sherman Theatre, Cardiff.


The play is published by Lazy Bee Scripts   

© Nigel Holloway 2023