Massaoke: A giant singalong night full of musical show tunes is coming to Dubai

Other gigs happening in November include a charitable shows to raise funds for Beirut, jazz music and stand-up comedy

Massaoke's Mark Nilsson encourages the audience to sing along as much as possible. Broadway Entertainment Group

More music is coming to Dubai next month.

A further two shows have been added to what is an already eventful November line-up, with tunes ranging from Broadway classics to the best of soul.

Making its UAE debut at Dubai World Trade Centre, with three shows running between Thursday, November 26 and Friday, November 27, is Massaoke.

The popular UK club night, which since its launch in 2011 has been hosted in London, New York and at the 2019 Glastonbury music festival, will transform the hall into a giant karaoke venue, complete with epic screens pumping out lyrics.

With the show dubbed Sing the Musicals, the event will thankfully eschew cheesy karaoke staples to take on the full-throated greatest hits of New York's Broadway and London's West End districts.

With singers and musicians accompanied by dancers and a high-tech light show, be prepared to sing along to classic and modern stage standards from hit shows such as Hamilton, Mamma Mia, The Greatest Showman, Grease and The Sound of Music.

Produced by Broadway Entertainment Group, the team that has brought lavish musicals to the UAE including The Phantom of the Opera, chief executive Liz Koops said Massaoke will follow social distancing measures and is set to play an important role in the ongoing revival of the UAE's cultural scene.

“In times like these, we need music and live entertainment even more than ever. Science proves that music elevates and rejuvenates us – and the electricity and energy of a live performance is not something that can be replicated," she said.

"Sing the Musicals caters to the wide variety of nationalities who have made the UAE their home and provides the chance for audiences to escape everyday life by generating positive emotion through a fun and entertaining performance."

Tickets for all shows are now available online from Platinumlist and begin from Dh175. Performances start on Thursday, November 26 at 8pm, and on Friday, November 27 at 4pm and 8pm.

Singing for Beirut

For those looking to enjoy music from the comfort of their homes instead, the DXB4BEY online concert will take place on Tuesday, November 3.

Pre-recorded at Dubai Opera and streamed from 7pm, the event features a plethora of UAE independent music acts as they play to raise funds for recovery efforts in the aftermath of the Beirut port explosion on August 4.

With a diverse line-up including soul singer Layla Kardan, funk rock group Bull Funk Zoo and singer-songwriter Danny Aridi, you can watch from any one of 50 Facebook pages streaming the show, including Dubai Opera.

Also appearing in the broadcast is Lebanese American stand-up comedian Nemr and Virgin Radio personality Kris Fade.

Organised by Bull Funk Zoo member Assaad Lakkis Lakkis, he said the event marks a way for the UAE music scene to show support for a city viewed as regional cultural hub.

“After what happened in Beirut, we had to come together to do something substantial,” he said. “Since we started this event, it has been incredibly moving to see how many people across Dubai have been keen to join and support the people of Beirut."

More shows in Dubai Opera

DXB4BEY is one of a string of shows that will be held at Dubai Opera throughout November.

On Thursday and Friday, November 5 and 6, the Downtown Dubai venue will host Ronnie Scott's Giants of Jazz, a tribute concert to jazz pioneers organised by London's famed Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club. The following day, British-Iranian comedian Omid Djalili will take to the stage to wax lyrical on his experience with the pandemic.

Latin dance fans should savour the Flamenco Passion concert on Wednesday, November 11, while pianist Guy Manoukian and violinist Ara Malikian will team up for concert full of revitalised pop and folk tunes from Lebanon and Armenia on Thursday and Friday, November 12 and 13.

Tickets for the shows can be booked at dubaiopera.com