An Egyptian theatre with a dramatic history

Cairo: After a hiatus of more than six years, three strokes reverberate across the historic hall. Silence reigns among an audience of dignitaries. The curtain raises and Egypt’s veteran actor Yahya Al Fakharani appears on the stage.

“I dedicate this show to the soul of an artist, who radiated at the Egyptian theatre as an actor and director,” starts Al Fakharani. “A glowing tribute to the soul of artist and friend Nour Al Sharif,” says Al Fakharani, referring to the celebrated Egyptian actor, who died last week at the age of 69.

The eulogy draws a resounding applause from the audience, including senior state officials, politicians and actors gathering to celebrate the reopening of the National Theatre, the oldest in the Middle East.

The centrepiece of the event, held earlier this week, was A Night of One Thousand Nights, a musical inspired by the fabled Arabian Nights.

The show stars Al Fakharani, one of Egypt’s greatest actors in the last three decades. He plays a poor street performer, exposing the gap between the haves and the have-nots in an imaginary town.

Also performing in the show are young singer Mohammad Mohsin and budding actress Hiba Majdi. The performance, directed by Mohsin Helmi, has proved a crowd-puller in the past few days.

A Night of One Thousand Nights is based on a text by renowned Egyptian lyricist Beiram Al Tounsi, who died in 1961. It was staged four times in Egypt, with the last being in 1994.

“This show marks the return of soul to the National Theatre featuring such great actors as Yahya Al Fakharani, who has devoted his life to the theatre,” said Egyptian Minister of Culture Abdul Wahid Al Nabawi as he took the podium to greet the cast following the premiere.

“The shows at national [state-run] theatres are witnessing a revival after the return of stage stars including Al Fakharani.”

The last time, Al Fakharani acted at the National Theatre was in 2002 when he played the title role in the Arabic version of William Shakespeare’s King Lear.

Egypt’s state and private theatres have been in the doldrums for the past four years due to street turmoil and political tensions that followed the 2011 uprising.

“One of the reasons, which have made me enthusiastic about presenting this play is the return of the National Theatre,” Al Fakharani, 70, said in a recent TV interview. “This helps give a good impression about the return of life to normal in Egypt.”

The Ministry of Culture, which is responsible for state-run theatres in Egypt, has unveiled a plan for presenting star-studded shows in Cairo and other big cities, starting this summer.

“With this show, the National Theatre has restored its exuberance,” said Yousuf Esmail, the director of the theatre. “It also marks the start of implementing an ambitious artistic plan aimed at restoring the status of the National Theatre among the world’s theatres.”

Located in the central Cairo area of Al Attaba, the National Theatre was built in 1869 as part of Egypt’s preparations for the inauguration of the Suez Canal. The structure was set up next to the Egyptian Opera House, which was also built that year to mark the occasion.

The theatre was first allocated for French performances, as Egypt’s ruler of the time, Khedive Esmail, sought to pattern Cairo after Paris.

In 1885, the theatre, known at the time as the Al Azbakiya Theatre, presented its first Egyptian show. Following the 1952 revolution that ended the monarchy in Egypt, the theatre was renamed the National Theatre. It has since featured a large number of performances based on Egyptian and foreign classics. Egypt’s stage greats such as Yousuf Wahbi, Karam Metawah, Hamdi Gaith, Shafik Nour Eddin Samiha Ayoub, Sana Jamil and Hamdi Ahmad performed at the theatre.

In the 1950s and 60s, the theatre experienced its glory days with shows based on texts by renowned Egyptian writers such as Yousuf Edriss, No’man Ashur, Sa’ad Eddin Wahba, Lutfi Al Khouly and Alfred Faraj.

The theatre was officially listed as an Egyptian heritage site in 2000. The building was heavily damaged by a fire in 2008. Later, the theatre underwent a massive restoration process that cost 105 million Egyptian pounds (Dh49.2 million). Prime Minister Ebrahim Mehleb reopened the renovated theatre last December.