Cirque Adrenaline. Courtesy Alchemy Project
Cirque Adrenaline. Courtesy Alchemy Project
Cirque Adrenaline. Courtesy Alchemy Project
Cirque Adrenaline. Courtesy Alchemy Project

The National

Your guide to Abu Dhabi Summer Season 2016

From a comedy act starring Marlon Wayans to Farhan Akhtar live and a Hello Kitty interactive show, we have the definitive guide to Abu Dhabi’s annual summer programme.

Jessica Hill

July 03, 2016

  • English
  • Arabic

Abu Dhabi Summer Season 2016 is back, and it’s bigger and better. This weekend, Abu Dhabi Tourism and Culture Authority launches its annual programme with the tagline Fun For All. The selection of events is vast, from appearances by international stand-up comics D L Hughley and Marlon Wayans to a concert by Arab stars via magic shows and acrobatic acts.

This is also a year of many firsts: there is a month-long segment targeted specifically at teenagers, the world premiere of Japanese manga movie One Piece Film: Gold, a two-day Arab comedy festival, and no less than three Bollywood concerts headlined by some of India's biggest stars, including Farhan Akhtar. Here's a quick look at what's on offer – mark your calendars.

Bollywood nights

Shaan

• August 11, Emirates Palace

The Indian singer takes the stage accompanied by soon-to-be-revealed top musicians and vocalists. His latest single, Tum Ho Toh, was released on June 14. Shaan is one of the very few Indians to have collaborated with international pop stars – Blue for One Love and Michael Learns to Rock for Take Me To Your Heart. Shaan was a coach on The Voice India, and will be seen on TV screens this month as a judge on The Voice India Kids.

• Tickets Dh145 to Dh245 www.platinumlist.net

Farhan Akhtar and Vishal-Shekhar

• August 11, du Forum

Last in the UAE in 2013 for Dubai Music Week, Indian director, actor and singer Farhan Akhtar makes his Abu Dhabi debut with a special music concert to mark India's Independence Day (August 15). Akhtar will be joined by musicians Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani – expect to hear songs from Salman Khan's new film, Sultan, which is out on Eid weekend.

• Tickets from Dh150 at www.ticketmaster.ae

Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy

• August 13, du Forum

Musicians, pictured from left, Ehsaan Noorani, Loy Mendonsa and Shankar Mahadevan, will play old favourites as well as their latest compositions – including songs from Rock On!! 2, starring Farhan Akhtar.

• Tickets from Dh150 at www.ticketmaster.ae

The comedy

The Kapil Sharma Comedy Show ≥

• August 12, Al Raha Beach Theatre

India's most widely watched TV comedian is bringing his brand of exuberant Hindi stand-up to Abu Dhabi for the first time. His latest TV show, The Kapil Sharma Show, has hosted the likes of Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar.

• Tickets from Dh200 at www.virginmegastore.ae

Heart For Sale

• August 4, Abu Dhabi National Theatre

• September 1-2, Al Ain Municipality

Kuwaiti comedian Tareq Al Ali’s three-hour long comedy show brings with it plenty of laughs. Ali plays a poor man who agrees to sell his heart to a wealthy man needing a heart transplant, but matters get complicated when both men get stuck on a malfunctioning plane. Also starring GCC actors Ahmad Al Faraj and Mais Kamar.

• Tickets from Dh250 at www.ticketmaster.ae

Marlon Wayans

• August 19, Emirates Palace

The youngest of the prodigious Wayans Brothers is known for his big-screen gigs in White Chicks, the Scary Movie franchise and most recently Fifty Shades of Black. Wayans has also just announced he's about to start work on a new NBC show, Marlon, loosely based on his own life. Based on previous stand-up gigs Wayans has performed so far this year in the United States, his Abu Dhabi show promises to be revealing and riotously funny.

• Tickets from Dh145 at www.platinumlist.net

Comedy Superstar

• September 9, Al Raha Theatre

Three members of American comedy royalty are coming together to raise some laughs. Eddie Griffin (Eddie Sherman on the 1990s sitcom Malcolm & Eddie) is joined by D L Hughley, the original host of the stand-up comedy show ComicView, and Charlie Murphy, a writer and cast member of the Comedy Central sketch-comedy series Chappelle's Show who also happens to be Eddie Murphy's brother.

• Tickets from Dh145 at www.platinumlist.net

Arab Comedy Festival

• September 9-10, Town Square, Yas Mall

Popular Emirati satirist Bin Baz hosts the first night, which features live stand-up comedy performances by Saudi comedy trio Fadi Al Shehri, Ibrahim Saleh and Ibrahim Khairallah. The pranksters are popular on social media and host their own YouTube shows.

The second evening will see UAE YouTuber and internet RJ Taim Al Falasi present on stage Jordanian stand-up pro Rajae Qawas, known for his YouTube channel Kharabeesh; young Lebanese comedian and social media influencer Darin Al Bayed; and Fahad Albutairi, whose YouTube show La Yekthar has more than a million subscribers.

• Tickets from Dh100 at www.ticketmaster.ae

Teen and young adults

The District

• August 18 to September 17, du Forum

This new event is designed to give those aged between 14 and 22 a creative outlet. The area is divided into five areas – park, alley, dome, street and block and the schedule includes workshops on smartphone photography, gaming, 3-D design, acting and fashion.

• Open daily; weekends feature an additional line-up of workshops and informal discussions. One-day pass is Dh100, weekend-pass Dh175, season pass is Dh1000 from www.abudhabisummerseason.ae

Just kidding

Hello Kitty Live Fashion and Friends

• July 7 – Culture Centre, Western Region; July 8 – Al Ain Municipality, Al Ain; July 9 – Al Raha Theatre, Abu Dhabi.

Abu Dhabi plays host to the world premiere of this live interactive show, starring the iconic Japanese cat, to tunes by Bruno Mars and Kylie Minogue.

• Tickets from Dh75 at www.TixBox.com

Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Musical

• August 4, Al Ain Municipality Theatre; August 5 and 6, Al Raha Theatre.

The loveable rodents of rock hit the stage for this show based on the movie franchise, which boasts plenty of dazzling special effects. The chipmunks will be warbling tunes by One Direction, Maroon 5, Christina Aguilera and Elvis Presley.

• Tickets go on sale soon

Dinosaur Zoo Live

• July 7 – 9, Emirates Palace

A team of skilled performers and puppeteers are bringing dinosaurs back from extinction for this theatrical show. The lifelike creatures – from cute baby dinos to gruesome flesh-eaters – will boost your kids’ prehistoric trivia and give them the chance to cuddle a dinosaur.

• Tickets Dh75 to Dh95 www.platinumlist.net or call 04 314 8222

Family

Jamie Raven Illusion Show

• July 8 and 9, Emirates Palace

British illusionist Jamie Raven made his mark on the TV show Britain's Got Talent last year. Fresh from headlining the West End show The Illusionists, Raven's debut world tour promises a mix of visual illusions, card tricks and interactive special ­effects.

• Tickets from Dh150 at www.ticketmaster.ae

Cirque Adrenaline

• August 18 and 19, Al Raha Theatre

True to its name, this nail-­biting circus brings together some of the world’s bravest stuntmen and nimblest acrobats in a series of perilous circus acts, from flame-wielding fire spinners and jaw-dropping contortionists to death-defying motorcyclists.

• Tickets Dh95 to Dh195 from www.TixBox.com or call 056 675 68 34/35

Fun Nation

• July 14 to August 6, du Forum

Dora the Explorer and SpongeBob will perform and help out with games and workshops for the youngest visitors, who will also be learning to cook up healthy treats in the kitchen. Popular UK cartoon character Shaun the Sheep inspires the “Championsheep” games – such as a sack race in which participants dress up as Bitzer the Dog. A live on-air game titled Tasali will be screened daily on MBC3, in which viewers play a video game against a computerised system.

• Adults Dh40, child Dh20, from www.ticketmaster.ae

artslife@thenational.ae

FIXTURES

Fixtures for Round 15 (all times UAE)

Friday
Inter Milan v AS Roma (11.45pm)
Saturday
Atalanta v Verona (6pm)
Udinese v Napoli (9pm)
Lazio v Juventus (11.45pm)
Sunday
Lecce v Genoa (3.30pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (6pm)
SPAL v Brescia (6pm)
Torino v Fiorentina (6pm)
Sampdoria v Parma (9pm)
Bologna v AC Milan (11.45pm)

Gender pay parity on track in the UAE

The UAE has a good record on gender pay parity, according to Mercer's Total Remuneration Study.

"In some of the lower levels of jobs women tend to be paid more than men, primarily because men are employed in blue collar jobs and women tend to be employed in white collar jobs which pay better," said Ted Raffoul, career products leader, Mena at Mercer. "I am yet to see a company in the UAE – particularly when you are looking at a blue chip multinationals or some of the bigger local companies – that actively discriminates when it comes to gender on pay."

Mr Raffoul said most gender issues are actually due to the cultural class, as the population is dominated by Asian and Arab cultures where men are generally expected to work and earn whereas women are meant to start a family.

"For that reason, we see a different gender gap. There are less women in senior roles because women tend to focus less on this but that’s not due to any companies having a policy penalising women for any reasons – it’s a cultural thing," he said.

As a result, Mr Raffoul said many companies in the UAE are coming up with benefit package programmes to help working mothers and the career development of women in general. 

While you're here
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From Zero

Artist: Linkin Park

Label: Warner Records

Number of tracks: 11

Rating: 4/5

Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.

Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.

“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.

“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.

Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.

From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.

Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.

BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.

Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.

Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.

“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.

Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.

“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.

“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”

The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”

Name: Peter Dicce

Title: Assistant dean of students and director of athletics

Favourite sport: soccer

Favourite team: Bayern Munich

Favourite player: Franz Beckenbauer

Favourite activity in Abu Dhabi: scuba diving in the Northern Emirates 

 

Killing of Qassem Suleimani
While you're here
MATCH INFO

Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid

INFO

What: DP World Tour Championship
When: November 21-24
Where: Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai
Tickets: www.ticketmaster.ae.

FamilyOn Stage