It's better late than never when it comes to the first West End musical dedicated to the life of one of the Arab world's greatest artists, Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum.
Running for three nights at Dubai Opera from May 3, Umm Kulthum and the Golden Era will make its regional premiere after it was launched at the London Palladium in the West End in 2020.
That one-off performance on March 2 served to preview the production to prospective theatre-owners and producers. And according to its creator and writer, Mona Khashoggi, it was a hit.
“It was sold out and we had people flying in from New York and Switzerland to see the show. They knew they were watching something important and that it was a landmark event,” she tells The National.
“Days after the show we started receiving really promising offers to take it internationally to cities in the US and places like Paris. An Australian company also wanted us to take it over there for a tour. It was really all happening.”
That momentum grounded to a halt, however, with the onset of Covid-19 and the subsequent shutdown of the international events industry for about 18 months.
A new version
While disappointed, Khashoggi used the extra time to rework the project.
While Kulthum's hits such as Enta Omri, Alf Leila We Leila, Fakarouni and Al Atlal will feature in the show, expect a more fine-tuned version at Dubai Opera.
"It has been a blessing because we managed to make the script tighter. The time off also gave us a chance to see where we did well and where we went wrong in terms of lighting and sound.
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
“These are small details the general audience wouldn't pick up but it is important to the overall production," she says.
"We also downscaled the cast from 24 to 10, with some actors playing multiple parts. This is all in order to make this show financially sustainable when taking it abroad."
The fact that the production has made it this far is an achievement in itself. Born in Riyadh, Khashoggi relocated to London to pursue a career focusing on reviving cultural stories from the Middle East for a global audience.
Her other projects include curating exhibitions for London's Victoria and Albert Museum and the British Museum.
“I would organise many events focusing on Arabic culture, including music, film and fashion, and I can’t tell you how many times people would say how much they admired Umm Kulthum,” she says.
“It got to a stage eventually where I remember saying two years ago that the Arab world needed our own musical to celebrate our culture and people like Umm Kulthum, and someone replied, ‘Well, why don’t you do it then?'"
But it wasn't that simple. Despite Khashoggi’s pedigree in the UK cultural scene, she was an unknown entity within West End circles. As a result, the London show was independently financed by Khashoggi, her family members and friends, and generous donors.
Preparing the script for the two-act show, which traces the life of the singer — born Fatima Ebrahim Al Sayyid Al Biltaji — from her poor upbringing in rural Egypt to her rise as one of the world’s greatest musical artists, was a fraught experience, with the original writer being replaced by Khashoggi.
"The original script was absolutely terrible because it was written like it was a book and it was full of politics," she says. "I wanted it to be fun, full of humour and heart. So I locked myself away for two weeks and wrote it myself."
Aided by the support of Kulthum’s family, particularly her granddaughter and singer Sanaa Nabil, Khashoggi was provided valuable insights into Kulthum’s personality and mannerisms to create what she hopes will be a memorable character.
Nabil will also be a guest performer in the Dubai Opera show.
On the road again
Despite the donations from the family, it's the choice of lead actress that can ultimately make or break a show. And Khashoggi is confident she has a winner with Lubana Al Quntar in the titular role.
The Syrian singer, who lives in the US, is linked to musical royalty as a descendant of revered singer Amal Atrash, known by her stage name Asmahan.
“In a way, Lubana is a throwback to the golden era of Arabic music and film in that she is skilled in the major arts of music, acting and dance,” she says. “She is brilliant and she knows the responsibility of the role. She is very well prepared and when she is on the stage performing as Umm Kulthum it is really magical.”
Khashoggi hopes to pick up where she left off in Dubai. Once again, a number of theatre promoters will be at the venue and she hopes the post-show meetings will result in Umm Kulthum and the Golden Era having more dates added to the calendar.
"With theatres opening up again we are in talks for further shows," she says. "Soon to be confirmed will be Cairo and the US next year and we are working on bringing it to Saudi Arabia soon, inshallah.”
Umm Kulthum and Golden Era will be performed at Dubai Opera from May 3 to 5. Show starts at 8pm. Tickets from Dh350 are available at dubaiopera.com
Scroll through the gallery below for the top 10 concerts to see in the UAE after Ramadan:
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor cricket in a nutshell
Indoor Cricket World Cup - Sept 16-20, Insportz, Dubai
16 Indoor cricket matches are 16 overs per side
8 There are eight players per team
9 There have been nine Indoor Cricket World Cups for men. Australia have won every one.
5 Five runs are deducted from the score when a wickets falls
4 Batsmen bat in pairs, facing four overs per partnership
Scoring In indoor cricket, runs are scored by way of both physical and bonus runs. Physical runs are scored by both batsmen completing a run from one crease to the other. Bonus runs are scored when the ball hits a net in different zones, but only when at least one physical run is score.
Zones
A Front net, behind the striker and wicketkeeper: 0 runs
B Side nets, between the striker and halfway down the pitch: 1 run
C Side nets between halfway and the bowlers end: 2 runs
D Back net: 4 runs on the bounce, 6 runs on the full
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
How does ToTok work?
The calling app is available to download on Google Play and Apple App Store
To successfully install ToTok, users are asked to enter their phone number and then create a nickname.
The app then gives users the option add their existing phone contacts, allowing them to immediately contact people also using the application by video or voice call or via message.
Users can also invite other contacts to download ToTok to allow them to make contact through the app.
World ranking (at month’s end)
Jan - 257
Feb - 198
Mar - 159
Apr - 161
May - 159
Jun – 162
Currently: 88
Year-end rank since turning pro
2016 - 279
2015 - 185
2014 - 143
2013 - 63
2012 - 384
2011 - 883
CHELSEA'S NEXT FIVE GAMES
Mar 10: Norwich(A)
Mar 13: Newcastle(H)
Mar 16: Lille(A)
Mar 19: Middlesbrough(A)
Apr 2: Brentford(H)
MATCH INFO
Rugby World Cup (all times UAE)
Final: England v South Africa, Saturday, 1pm
Quick facts on cancer
- Cancer is the second-leading cause of death worldwide, after cardiovascular diseases
- About one in five men and one in six women will develop cancer in their lifetime
- By 2040, global cancer cases are on track to reach 30 million
- 70 per cent of cancer deaths occur in low and middle-income countries
- This rate is expected to increase to 75 per cent by 2030
- At least one third of common cancers are preventable
- Genetic mutations play a role in 5 per cent to 10 per cent of cancers
- Up to 3.7 million lives could be saved annually by implementing the right health
strategies
- The total annual economic cost of cancer is $1.16 trillion
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
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Ain Dubai in numbers
126: The length in metres of the legs supporting the structure
1 football pitch: The length of each permanent spoke is longer than a professional soccer pitch
16 A380 Airbuses: The equivalent weight of the wheel rim.
9,000 tonnes: The amount of steel used to construct the project.
5 tonnes: The weight of each permanent spoke that is holding the wheel rim in place
192: The amount of cable wires used to create the wheel. They measure a distance of 2,4000km in total, the equivalent of the distance between Dubai and Cairo.
European arms
Known EU weapons transfers to Ukraine since the war began: Germany 1,000 anti-tank weapons and 500 Stinger surface-to-air missiles. Luxembourg 100 NLAW anti-tank weapons, jeeps and 15 military tents as well as air transport capacity. Belgium 2,000 machine guns, 3,800 tons of fuel. Netherlands 200 Stinger missiles. Poland 100 mortars, 8 drones, Javelin anti-tank weapons, Grot assault rifles, munitions. Slovakia 12,000 pieces of artillery ammunition, 10 million litres of fuel, 2.4 million litres of aviation fuel and 2 Bozena de-mining systems. Estonia Javelin anti-tank weapons. Latvia Stinger surface to air missiles. Czech Republic machine guns, assault rifles, other light weapons and ammunition worth $8.57 million.
If you go
The flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Nairobi, with fares starting from Dh1,695. The resort can be reached from Nairobi via a 35-minute flight from Wilson Airport or Jomo Kenyatta International Airport, or by road, which takes at least three hours.
The rooms
Rooms at Fairmont Mount Kenya range from Dh1,870 per night for a deluxe room to Dh11,000 per night for the William Holden Cottage.
New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
The five new places of worship
Church of South Indian Parish
St Andrew's Church Mussaffah branch
St Andrew's Church Al Ain branch
St John's Baptist Church, Ruwais
Church of the Virgin Mary and St Paul the Apostle, Ruwais
When Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi
Known as The Lady of Arabic Song, Umm Kulthum performed in Abu Dhabi on November 28, 1971, as part of celebrations for the fifth anniversary of the accession of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan as Ruler of Abu Dhabi. A concert hall was constructed for the event on land that is now Al Nahyan Stadium, behind Al Wahda Mall. The audience were treated to many of Kulthum's most well-known songs as part of the sold-out show, including Aghadan Alqak and Enta Omri.
