The Bands Visit
This week we’re going back a few years for some hypnotic contemporary musical theatre.
This week’s TONY Tuesday is:
‘Omar Sharif’ from “The Band’s Visit” at the 2018 TONY awards ceremony.
“The Band’s Visit” is a one act musical based on the film of the same name. The story follows the Alexandra ceremonial police orchestra who are on their way to the Israeli city of Petah Tikvah to perform. Upon landing in Tel Aviv there is a communication error between the young Egyptian band player and the Israeli ticket officer at the bus station and instead of providing the band with tickets to Petah Tikvah they are sent to Bet Hatikva. When the band arrive at Bet Hatikva they are expected to be presented with a cultural hubbub of Israel, however, as it is the wrong place; they merely wind up in a desert town. Dina, a local restaurant owner informs them that the next bus to Petah Tikvah will not arrive until the next day and so the citizens of Bet Hatikva open their homes to the band members. “The Band’s visit” explores how a seemingly ordinary stranger can have an extraordinarily profound effect on another person by simply listening to their story, and the impact embracing different cultures can have on your growth as a person.
The musical with music and lyrics by David Yazbek and a book by Itamar Moses opened for previews Off-Broadway at the Atlantic theatre Company on 11th November 2016 and closed on the 8th of January 2017. The David Cromer directed show opened to positive reviews and box office return, sparking a Broadway Transfer. The musical opened on Broadway a year after it’s Off=Broadway opening, and received widespread critical acclaim for its representation, intimate nature and depth of character. The show became a commercial success winning a staggering 10 2018 TONY awards and recouping its $8.75M investment in 10 months. The musical starred film and stage actor Tony Shalhoub, Katrina Lenk, John Cariani, Ari’el Stachel, Etai Benson and Adam Kantor. The show ended its Broadway run on April 9th 2017 prior to the launch of its North American tour in June of that year.
The show has also been a game changing moment for Middle eastern representation in American theatre. It has been lauded for creating authentic characters and not viewing them through a lens of negative stereotypes.
I was fortunate enough to see this show on Broadway and it was uniquely beautiful. One of those moments of where nothing much appears to be happening, but everything happens and everything changes.
The cast recording is available on AppleMusic and Spotify,
Show it some love Besties, it’s a beautiful find.
FACTS:
Music: David Yazbek Lyrics: David Yazbek Book: Itamar Moses Theatre: The Ethel Barrymore Theatre Run: October 7th 2017 – April 7th 2019 (36 previews, 589 performances)
TONYS:
(NOMINATED) Best scenic design in a musical – Scott Pask
(WON) Best musical, Best book of a musical – Itamar Moses, Best original score – David Yazbek, Best actor in a musical – Tony Shalhoub, Best actress in a musical – Katrina Lenk, Best featured actor in a musical – Ari’el Stachel, Best lighting design in a musical – Tyler Micoleau, Best sound design in a musical – Kai Harada, Best direction of a musical – David Cromer, Best orchestrations – Jamshied Sharifi
