Beirut: Before the long civil war that left permanent scars on all Lebanese, Beirut boasted what was universally acknowledged as the Arab world’s richest cultural scene.
When artists fled the civil war during the 70s and 80s, they left behind a stark void, though modest efforts restarted in the mid-1990s, mostly to quench an appetite for creativity.
In 1996, the Masrah Al Madinah [City Theatre] landmark reopened as intellectuals — whose love for cultural liberalism stood out amid the organised chaos that most Lebanese perfected — wrote new plays, and political dissidents published fresh pieces, translated leading European fare, and performed once again in front of anxious audiences hungry for variety.
A few weeks ago, the theatre celebrated 20 years of continuous operations with a series of 13 events that revitalised an independent intellectual atmosphere that, in the words of Nidal Achkar, a leading producer/artist/founder, “defended freedom.”
“It’s very difficult to defend freedom in this part of the world where everything is against freedom,” affirmed Nidal as the theatre prepared to showcase William Shakespeare’s King Lear in Arabic, whose main character, a monarch who descends into madness after he disposes off his kingdom giving bequests to two of his three daughters based on their flattery of him, and which brings tragic consequences for all.
The theme’s relevance to ongoing political developments in the country did not escape commentators who praised Al Madinah Theatre for promoting such a highly sensitive dialogue among wary Lebanese.
This was one of several extraordinary productions, which included among others a play titled “al-Malik Yamut” [The Ruler is Dying] by Fuad Na‘im, a performance of Sufi chants by Sami Hawat, and a drama titled “Hiwar al-Kilab” [The Colloquy of the Dogs], based on a novel by the Spanish writer Miguel Cervantes, El casamiento engañoso [The Deceitful Marriage], probably his finest work after Don Quixote.
Lebanese audiences appreciated the play about two dogs that suddenly and mysteriously find themselves having the gift of speech and tell each other their own life experiences. Adapted to local society and its worldview, the nuances of the play proved to be especially pertinent.
Equally powerful was a Roger Assaf presentation in a one-man show titled “Beirut by Default” that looked back at what had been the capital city, what it represented, and what it became, as a series of pre- and post-war photographs were projected in the background.
Audience members who remembered the past shed tears and younger attendees discovered that Beirut used to truly be the Paris of the Middle East before it become a city of cement.
The audience also reflected on the artist’s recollections as he transformed the show into a unique multicultural presentation that revealed the city’s true identity, in which people from all walks of life, all religions, and all cultures intermingled.
Even more astounding was a Nada Kano ballet presentation that stunned the audience. Kano, a French-trained ballet dancer who founder the Beirut Dance Studio in 2007, displayed one of her more eclectic programmes, titled ‘L’Étreinte’ [The Embrace] that simply dazzled.
Shadi Aoun and Cindy Germani delivered a breathtaking performance, literally connected with the appreciative audience. The dancers embraced nearly 300 people in the room through their own dance-embrace, and although the Beirut Dance Studio is located in the heart of the city, along the Cornich al-Nahr, the mere fact that ‘L’Étreinte’ was performed at the Masrah Al Madinah, located in conservative Hamrah, spoke volumes.
For Jacques Maroun, an actor-director who founded the Actors Workshop in 2010, Lebanese audiences primarily sought entertainment.
Stressed by life’s unending demands in a society that is caught in the whirlwind of incredible roadblocks — ranging the gamut from organised corruption to methodical chaos that include traffic jams, electricity shortages, garbage woes, and similar challenges — audiences that do attend theatre are interested in relaxing plays.
His latest production, ‘Faradan Inno’ [Assuming That] is comedy where two men find themselves in a nerdy environment confronting absurd situations.
“I remain true to my vocation,” Maroun told Gulf News, as he vowed to help develop the art form in Lebanon.
