LEBANON: A theater that delves into Arab thinking

 

Sherif Abdel Nour, the Lebanese-Palestinian playwright and director, says he's determined to use art to highlight Arab concerns as a counterweight to Western influences.

Last week, Abdel Nour celebrated the opening of his new production, “Hanthalaza’s Journey from Slumber to Consciousness,” at Beirut's Babylon Theatre.

The satirical play mocks the apathy and submissiveness that characterize much of the Arab world.

“My objective is to bring the Arab culture closer to the people through theater,” said the 30-year-old director. “There is a tendency to stay away from issues related to the Arab identity and to perform Western plays.”   

To achieve his objective, Abdel Nour created his own theatrical troupe, grouping amateurs from different parts of the Arab world in 2001. So far he's staged 16 plays, all of them tackling Arab social and political concerns.

His current play is based on the text of the renowned Syrian playwright Saadullah Wannous, whose art contributed to portraying the disillusionment of Arab intellectuals with their authoritarian ruling regimes after the 1967 defeat.   

The one-act farcical play features Hanthala, a passive Arab layman whose motto is “One should stay away from problems to stay safe.”

Despite his disengagement, Hanthala found himself all of a sudden behind bars without committing any crime. To be released, he was forced to give away all his savings to a prison guard.

However, his life in jail turned out to be no worse than his life outside: He finds out that he lost both his job and his wife. Here, Harfoush, the voice of wisdom, interfered and explained to him that his passivity and apathy were behind all his calamities.

Eventually, Hanthala underwent a neurological surgery, after which he changed his motto to: “Everything happening around me concerns me because it determines my destiny.”

“This play features the crisis of the Arab citizen whether he lives in Egypt, Iraq or any other country. He always presents himself as the victim,” said Abdel-Nour.

Abdel Nour is originally Palestinian with dual U.S. and Lebanese citizenship. He holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the American University of Beirut, a master's the history of Arab wars from an American military school in the Washington area and an MSA in drama therapy and directing from a British University. He currently teaches theater classes at the American University in Beirut.      

“Unfortunately, the play is very much applicable to our situation now,” he said. “We are in a worse situation now than in the 1960s. Our defeats are continuous.” 

Yet the play does not seem to be attracting a wide audience. On the opening night, nearly half the seats were empty. However, this low turnout didn't bother Abdel Nour too much.

“This is the normal turnout of theatrical plays especially if the play tackles a cultural issue and is played in the classical language,” he said. “People want joyful plays and not profound ones that stimulate their thinking.”

—Noha El-Hennawy in Beirut

Photos: From top, Hanthala on the floor, venting his grievances to Harfoush upon his release from prison (Noha El-Hennawy); director and playwright Sherif Abdel Nour (Noha El-Hennawy); the play poster hanging on walls everywhere in Beirut (Noha El-Hennawy)