Freej Fame

Creativity can be a messy process. At least that is the impression I got when visiting a nondescript sports hall in Umm Suqeim. Dancers on stilts, acrobats suspended by cables in mid-air, props sprouting from the walls, tailors peddalling away on sewing machines, artistic designers hollering and signalling to dancers and instrumental music blaring from the speakers — these are the sights and sounds that greet anyone who dares to enter.

One person seems oblivious to the chaos around him: Mohammad Saeed Hareb, creator of the lovable cartoon grannies in Freej. Harib is also the architect of Freej Folklore, an Arabic theatrical production that is currently in rehearsal in Dubai. The show will be staged at the Madinat Arena from Thursday, but Harib is the epitome of cool. He meets the sight of a dancer-turned-torero struggling to hold his horn-encrusted hat together and others grappling with a series of wardrobe malfunctions with studied nonchalance.

"I am here to guide them and not to freak out. And I have been a part of Freej [the TV cartoon series] not once, but thrice. So by now I am used to the deadlines and the pressure. And the idea to create such a home-grown theatrical production has been in my head for the past two years," Harib explains.

Around 350 people — including dancers, musicians, sound technicians and animation experts — have been working around the clock to translate his dream into a visual spectacle. The 90-minute theatrical tableau is divided into seven acts and has vignettes such as the 14th century explorer Ibn Battuta regaling the hologram-programmed Freej grannies with Arabian legends, historical events and fables atop a stage that is 41 metres wide and 7 metres high. The proverbial genie dishing out fables is also a part of the package.

"Freej Folklore is an attempt to create a show that is on par with international shows such as Chicago or Mamma Mia!. Frankly, I am not a fan of international shows creating a stir in Dubai. The real challenge is to create something right here and then take it to the rest of the world. The show has a bit of Cirque Du Soleil too," says Hareb.

If the show is a hit in Dubai, then a Freej Folklore roadshow is also a possibility.

"We haven't worked out the details. But the idea of taking the show around the world is very appealing. But everything depends on how the show fares in Dubai."

For Hareb, changing the mindset of UAE nationals is a more daunting prospect than importing dancing horses from Paris or hiring composers from across the globe.

"The problem is that many people have stopped trusting Arabic theatrical productions. They often think that it would be just cheap and not up to international standards or simply a waste of their time and money. So how do we lure them to the theatres? That is the big question. To me, that's the biggest stumbling block," he says.

Fortunately, Harib has the backing of a dedicated production team spearheaded by executive producer Benjamin Monei.

"Most people in the world consider Dubai a commercial capital filled with shopping malls. But with this show, we can showcase the real Dubai to the world. From pearl diving to the poems written by Dubai's leader, we have it all here," says Monei.

Practicalities

It was decided for practical reasons not to use actors to play the role of the Freej cartoon characters.

"One of the reasons why it took so long for me to take the plunge from a TV show to the theatre was that I was hesitant to put the cartoon characters in costumes or to employ actors. I thought it would never work. Fortunately, we later hit upon the idea of blending 3-D technology with real-life characters," says Hareb, who hopes his magnum opus will receive the same reception as his hit 3-D TV series.

"Yes, it's larger than life and yes, I hope that everybody enjoys it as much as we enjoyed putting it all together. And I hope 20 years later we can look back and say, ‘Wow, we did it.'"

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