She is lonely. She is beginning to lose her sanity. Her husband has left her for another woman yet she is still in love with him.
The play With Eyes that Are Yours, staged by the Dubai-based Documentary Voices, opens at Ductac tonight. It was written by and stars the renowned Iranian actress Bahareh Rahnama, who is known for her versatility and is one of the few Iranian actresses who takes on comedic roles.
Mahshid Zamani, the managing director of Documentary Voices, says the story is inspired by a song about each day of the week.
"There is only one character in the play and we learn about her life through dialogue she has with her ex-husband who is in Paris. Each day, she mentions what day of the week it is and her schedule," says Zamani. "The main reason we took on this production is because it deals with women's issues in a very deep way, not just touching them on the surface."
Through the story, the audience explores how vulnerable women can be in societies where they have few rights.
It will be the first time the play is staged in Dubai and it is then scheduled to play in Canada and Los Angeles. Zamani says it is unfortunate such an important production was unable to attract sponsors in the UAE.
"In addition to the musicals and concerts, this type of play purifies the soul. Our main message would be to appeal for support for these types of artistic art forms because they are beneficial and educational," she says. "When investments are made in arts and culture, life in any society would be far better.
"The audience will walk away considering the character, how tough life can be for a single mother and how easily some can walk away from their commitments," Zamani adds. "It's fantastic how this wife can joke about her physical appearance, showing us the husband was a superficial man."
With Eyes that Are Yours will be performed in Farsi from tonight until Sunday at Ductac, Mall of the Emirates. Doors open at 6.30pm. Tickets are Dh150 at the Ductac box office. Visit www.ductac.org or www.documentaryvoices.com
melshoush@thenational.ae
BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
'Nope'
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AIDA%20RETURNS
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More on Quran memorisation:
Test
Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
Rajasthan Royals 153-5 (17.5 ov)
Delhi Daredevils 60-4 (6 ov)
Rajasthan won by 10 runs (D/L method)
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
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
Engine: 80 kWh four-wheel-drive
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 402bhp
Torque: 760Nm
Price: From Dh280,000
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Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
