Dana Al Fardan (second right), Nadin Naaman (third left) and Bronagh Lagan (right), with other officials and artistes at the “Broken Wings” press conference held at Katara Cultural Village in Doha, yesterday. Pic: Salim Matramkot / The Peninsula
Doha: Broken Wings, a West End musical written by critically acclaimed Qatari musician and composer Dana Al Fardan and Lebanese-British West End star Nadin Naaman, will mark its Doha run from November 7 to 9 at Katara Opera House.
An adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s 1912 autobiographical poetic novel of the same title, Broken Wings marked a sold-out premiere in London’s West End in August last year and its international debut in Lebanon in July.
Speaking at a press conference yesterday at Katara Cultural Village, Al Fardan recalled how the musical was born saying that the first thing they “discussed was the need to project our shared Arab heritage on a wider global platform.”
“We wanted to focus specifically on the rich universally relevant content in Arab literature and philosophy. Our mission as long as we work together will be to counter common predispositions held towards the Arab world by making accessible to an international audience the depth and beauty of its art,” she stressed.
Immigration, gender relations and identity were among the themes engulfing most societies during Gibran’s time reflected in his novella Broken Wings and remain relevant today , she said.
Naaman was of the same view saying over a century later, Broken Wings “is a story that highlights importance of his philosophies and messages of tolerance, humanitarianism and equality against the backdrop of a divided modern world. Arguably now, more than ever, a dose of Gibran is needed, to remind us all of the things that unite us, rather than divide us.”
He added: “The Middle East has, for many years, received touring productions of many popular Western musicals and plays. But it is now time for The Middle East to create and enjoy its own heritage and culture on the stage. And more importantly, it is time for the rest of the world to enjoy artistic creations from this beautiful and historic region.”
Twenty-five cast and crew members from 14 different nationalities will be flying from London to join other cast members in Doha for the show, said Naaman, who plays the lead role in the musical.
Naaman is joined by Hanna Qureshi as Selma and Soophia Foroughi (Spamalot) as Mother and further casting will be announced soon. The musical is directed by Bronagh Lagan, with orchestration by Joe Davison, and produced by Ali Matar.
‘’Katara is a home of the art in Doha. Our role is to cultivate bright and talented artists in Doha providing a platform for artists to flourish just like Dana Alfardan and to strengthen the quality of the arts and to build bridges through culture showcasing the rich heritage of Qatar to the rest of the world. Broken Wings is a testament to this, and we are very proud to partner with Dana Alfardan in bringing this great masterpiece to Doha, highlighting the message of peace, inclusion and sense of belonging,” said Darwish Ahmad Al Shaibani, Director of Marketing and Cultural Affairs at Katara.
Tickets for the musical, which will have matinee and soiree performances, will start selling tomorrow at Virgin Megastores.
