DSF 2013 To Stage The Regional Debut Of The Acclaimed Arabic Musical "On The Land Of The Gypsies" By The Legendary Rahbani’s

Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), an agency of the Department of Economic Development, and organisers of Dubai Shopping Festival, will present the highly acclaimed Arabic play “A Ard El Ghajar” ("On the land of the Gypsies") by the legends of Arabic musical theatre, the Rahbani family, during the forthcoming 18th edition of DSF.

DSF 2013, which will be held from 3rd January to 3rd February, 2013 will kick-off Dubai’s events calendar in the New Year with a range of events, activities and promotions including “A Ard El Ghajar” that will live up to the festival’s campaign promise of “Dubai at its Best”.

The Arabic play by Rahbani Productions will be staged from 10th to 12th January at the Burj Park, Downtown, Dubai. A musical that is staged in two acts, “On the land of the Gypsies” had its regional premier in Lebanon, garnering rave reviews. It ran for four hugely successful months at the Casino du Liban and is back by popular demand.

Speaking at a gathering of media personnel to announce the DSF event at Al Badyia Golf Club Dubai Festival City on 19th December 2012, Ibrahim Saleh, Festivals Coordinator General DEPE, said: “In line with the DSF marketing slogan ‘Dubai at its Best’, the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment will strive to present the best the world has to offer in terms of entertainment and culture to residents and visitors alike. Hosting a play produced by the renowned Rahbani family in a city that embraces different cultures, arts and media, is just one of the numerous ways that we ensure there is something that is of the highest quality and also memorable for all sections of society, who are looking forward to the month-long extravaganza.”

Marwan Rahbani, President and CEO, Rahbani Productions, said: “Dubai, a city that is constantly engaged in fostering better understanding between cultures, has given the world some of the most spectacular and memorable events. In this regard, DSF still continues to play the stellar role in showcasing Dubai’s multicultural dimensions across the world. It is a pleasure for production houses like ours to be involved in an extravaganza like the DSF, as it also gives us an opportunity to showcase the scope of our work to visitors from different cultural backgrounds, and more importantly to an appreciative and knowledgeable audience Connoisseurs of art and theatre will be enchanted by this musical which will be full of rich dialogues, vibrant costumes, lilting songs and beautiful choreography”.

Written, composed and produced by Ghadi Rahbani, the play is directed by Marwan Rahbani and features such luminaries of Arabic musical theatre as Ghassan Saliba, Aline Lahoud, Paul Sleiman and Pierre Chamoun, among others. They will be supported by more than 70 actors, singers and dancers on stage in what promises to be a show that will reflect the Dubai Shopping Festival’s spirit in its grandeur and scope.

The play depicts the fate of an Arab emigrant who returns to his homeland to find himself trapped in incidents he has nothing to do with, which leads to an unexpected ending. The main protagonist, a rich Brazilian-Lebanese immigrant named Salvado Kozhaya Hussein, returns to the country of his forefathers to reclaim the ancestral land that he inherited from his grandfather and to build a house for his fiancée on it. He finds that the land that belonged to his family has been taken over, in collusion with government officials, by gypsies who have decided to occupy it permanently. Salvado embarks on a struggle to claim his right – a struggle that exposes the corruption and injustices of society and politics, and also leads him to find true love with Zeina, the daughter of the gypsy tribe’s leader. Salvado’s efforts to reclaim his land also throw up polemical issues and the fundamental question of who is more important, the land or the man.

One of the biggest draws of the play is the credentials of the people behind it. Director Marwan Rahbani and producer Ghadi Rahbani hail from the illustrious Rahbani family of Lebanon, which has been the legendary custodian of traditional Arabic music and musical theatre since the 1950s. Acclaimed throughout the Arab world for the quality of their productions, shows involving the Rahbani family have always been treats for aficionados of Arab culture and music, and “On the land of the Gypsies” is no exception.  

Emirate:  Dubai

Date: Dec 19, 2012

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