Dubai:
If there’s one thing about Dubai that sets it apart, it is its ability to constantly innovate or reinvent itself. So when Amazing Dubai opens with a song titled Anything is Possible in Dubai, it firmly sets the tone to what is being billed as the first-ever musical in English about the city.
Speaking to XPRESS ahead of the sneak media preview of the musical at the Madinat Theatre on September 20 – the event opens to the public on October 4 - director and script writer Sanjeev Dixit says Dubai never ceases to amaze, just as it never stops to innovate.
“The idea behind the musical is to go beyond the image of Dubai as a city of shopping malls and beaches to portray its rich culture and history that may not be very apparent to its residents and tourists,” he notes.
Precedent
Although Dubai has been extensively filmed and written about, Amazing Dubai sets an English musical precedent.
“This is Brian Wilkie’s baby,” says Dixit, recalling how the Dubai-based entrepreneur first conceived the idea of Amazing Dubai over a decade ago. Convinced that Dubai needed a musical in its honour, Wilkie teamed up with Australian playwright, director and producer Alex Broun and Dixit who flew to Goa in India to prepare the script last April.
The result was an hour-long edutainment piece that narrates the story of Dubai through the ages, from a small fishing community in the 1800s to the modern metropolis it is today. The tale is woven into the journey of two Emirati brothers, one of whom is played by well-known Emirati actor and stand-up comedian Omar Ismail. Among the other performers are Indian actor Ian Halstead and American actor Emily Nivia.
The musical features nine singer-actors, selected from 200 applicants who responded to an open call for audition floated in June. Of the 13 songs in the musical, Dixit penned 11, including the opening Anything is Possible in Dubai, Desert Sand and We Build to Strive. He also worked on composing the music and lyrics, and collaborated with local musicians Cmith Sarkar and Ryden Aranjo.
“The music is a mix of all genres, including traditional Arabic, Broadway and West End styles,” says Dixit. He points out that much like Dubai, the songs too are reflective of the local Arab culture and the various world influences in music. Inputs by theatre designer Ben Rogers who has overseen the lighting, video, set, sound, besides choreography, costume design and looks for the actors perfectly complement the performances
From October 4, the musical will be performed twice a day (11am and 2pm), all year-round, at the Madinat Theatre at Souk Madinat Jumeirah.
