'1001 Nights: The Last Chapter' is heading to Sharjah.
'1001 Nights: The Last Chapter' is heading to Sharjah.
'1001 Nights: The Last Chapter' is heading to Sharjah.
'1001 Nights: The Last Chapter' is heading to Sharjah.

On Stage

'1001 Nights: The Last Chapter' coming to Sharjah's Al Majaz Amphitheatre

The show is poised to be the grand opening act for the official inauguration of the World Book Capital 2019 celebrations starting on April 23

The National

March 26, 2019

  • English
  • Arabic

1001 Nights: The Last Chapter is coming to the Al Majaz Amphitheatre in Sharjah. The live entertainment show is one of the largest of its kind and features 537 team members consisting of 25 nationalities.

The show is poised to be the grand opening act for the official inauguration of the World Book Capital 2019 celebrations starting on April 23 and inspired by the Arab folk tales One Thousand and One Nights. Sharjah was crowned the World Book Capital for 2019 by Unesco.

Audiences will be able to watch the live show in Arabic, English and French at the same time.

A 51-piece live orchestra which musicians from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Armenia will perform the musical backdrop which will feature theatre artists, acrobats and gymnasts.

Preparations for the production began a year ago with more than 500 hours of training put in. A number of artists from Mexico, UK, Brazil, Belarus, Slovenia, Japan, US and Canada will be featuring in the production.

"1001 Nights: The Last Chapter is set to change the face of live entertainment in the UAE, and will reinvent the genre of performing arts. The show is the first-of-its-kind in its unique integration of concept, forms of performance arts — this production will see the kind of audiovisual technology only seen in a handful of theatre productions yet globally, and finally, the number of individuals who have to come together to bring to life this theatrical masterpiece," said Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al Qasimi, head of the inauguration ceremony committee of the Sharjah World Book Capital.

“The performance is inspired by some of the most important chapters of human literature written in this part of the world, and will offer a befitting inaugural to Sharjah’s year-long celebration of books and reading as the Unesco World Book Capital 2019.”

There will be one daily performance from April 23 to 27.

Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The President's Cake

Director: Hasan Hadi

Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem 

Rating: 4/5

While you're here
Need to know

When: October 17 until November 10

Cost: Entry is free but some events require prior registration

Where: Various locations including National Theatre (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Cultural Center, Zayed University Promenade, Beach Rotana (Abu Dhabi), Vox Cinemas at Yas Mall, Sharjah Youth Center

What: The Korea Festival will feature art exhibitions, a B-boy dance show, a mini K-pop concert, traditional dance and music performances, food tastings, a beauty seminar, and more.

For more information: www.koreafestivaluae.com

While you're here
List of alleged parties

 

May 12, 2020: PM and his wife Carrie attend 'work meeting' with at least 17 staff 

May 20, 2020: They attend 'bring your own booze party'

Nov 27, 2020: PM gives speech at leaving party for his staff 

Dec 10, 2020: Staff party held by then-education secretary Gavin Williamson 

Dec 13, 2020: PM and his wife throw a party

Dec 14, 2020: London mayoral candidate Shaun Bailey holds staff event at Conservative Party headquarters 

Dec 15, 2020: PM takes part in a staff quiz 

Dec 18, 2020: Downing Street Christmas party 

Zidane's managerial achievements

La Liga: 2016/17
Spanish Super Cup: 2017
Uefa Champions League: 2015/16, 2016/17, 2017/18
Uefa Super Cup: 2016, 2017
Fifa Club World Cup: 2016, 2017

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Fifa Club World Cup:

When: December 6-16
Where: Games to take place at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and Hazza bin Zayed Stadium in Al Ain
Defending champions: Real Madrid

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War and the virus

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.”

Pearls on a Branch: Oral Tales
​​​​​​​Najlaa Khoury, Archipelago Books

On Stage