Stories of metamorphosis often inspire filmmakers. From Pygmalion by Bernard Shaw, made in 1914, the theme is quite recurrent on the tables. Often we have followed the model of a woman who transforms completely, then falls in love with her mentor.
Director Khaled Galal, in his new show Anestouna (please), don’t fall into the deja vu trap though. She managed to stage a show, evoking the metamorphosis of a popular and rather vulgar singer of a working class neighborhood into a star of the show, played by the talented actress Donia Samir Ghanem.
The director has chosen to completely distance himself from clichés, in relation to this theme, which he has repeatedly addressed. Written by Ahmed Abdel-Wahab and Karim Sami, the comedy revolves around a master preparing a musical performance. He comes across an abandoned theater haunted by the soul of a famous singer from the turn of the last century. This ensured that no one else could sing on the same boards except his granddaughter who lives in the popular Al-Sakakini neighborhood. This is the young Zalabiya, who will be trained for months by the master, to be the protagonist of his next show.
Khaled Galal’s direction combines aspects of entertainment and comedy, resulting in an entertaining show, featuring Donia Samir Ghanem in a different way.
Zalabiya bewitches the master with her voice. The latter tries to convince the rest of his work crew that she is the best to perform in his show.
The opposition between the characters of the old-time singer, the girl of popular extraction and the refined teacher with a vast culture, gives life to hilarious scenes. The popular singer lives in the master’s palace; the game of contrasts with neighbors and servants also creates humorous effects.
A face to face between yesterday’s singer and today’s director. (Photo: Al-Sayed Abdel-Qader)
The scenes follow each other quickly, evoking the various stages of transformation. The future star’s music teacher is completely devastated: she’s raunchy and constantly hits the wrong note about her. Then, her Classical Arabic teacher said she was sorry. Because she mispronounces and uses strange vocabulary.
Amr Abdallah’s furnishings underline the paradoxes between the life of the building and that of the popular neighborhood, emphasizing specific elements: the bean cart is placed in the hall of the building, chairs and a table recreate the atmosphere of the popular café.
The natural side of Donia
Donia Samir Ghanem excels in singing, dancing and acting. Her interpretation is spontaneous, unpretentious. Initially, she embodies the grandmother or singer of yesteryear, looking angelic with her elegant dress and white gloves. Hence, she gets into the skin of Zalabiya, the popular child or singer. The costumes designed by Marwa Auda highlight the difference between the two characters, as does the choreography by Khadiga Al-Arqan.
The songs written by Ayman Bahgat Qamar and set to music by Amr Moustapha disrupt the scenes and accelerate the pace. The introductory song Eve of Eve (passion, oh passion) immerses us in the classic atmosphere of the past. The wedding song Not the pig introduces the popular star to the stage. Etnaqalna (moving on) translates his total metamorphosis well.
And in a key moment of the comedy, the image of the old-time singer, hanging on the wall, moves. He sings, addressing his granddaughter. The song is like a conversation between them, where the grandmother encourages her descendant to sing and overcome her fears.
Eventually the theater was renovated and the singer staged the same piece, once performed by her grandmother. Suddenly, she takes off her golden dress and appears in a glittering jumpsuit, dancing to the pulsating rhythm of our days and singing Yalla Yalla (let’s go), encouraging all the good ones to do like her, to the applause of the audience. Then she repeats the song Anestouna (you’re welcome) with great glee, in reference to the riddle song performed several years earlier by the comedian’s recently deceased father, Samir Ghanem. She was also a real star of the tables.
Anestouna, every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 pm at the Théâtre de l’Opéra Must, 6 October.
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