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We Live in Cairo
MusicDaniel Lazour, Patrick Lazour
LyricsDaniel Lazour, Patrick Lazour
BookDaniel Lazour, Patrick Lazour
SettingCairo, Egypt
Basis2011 Egyptian Revolution
Premiere22 May 2019: American Repertory Theater, Cambridge, Massachusetts

We Live in Cairo is a musical following the 2011 Egyptian revolution (part of the wider Arab Spring) and its aftermath. The show's book, music, and lyrics were written by Lebanese-American brothers Daniel and Patrick Lazour.[1]

Development and productions

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The show was inspired by a 2011 photograph taken by Ed Ou for The New York Times of young Egyptian activists looking at a computer screen.[2][3][4] The first draft of the show was written as the protests were happening, and ended with Hosni Mubarak's ousting from power.[3][5] However, as events continued to unfold, the Lazour brothers decided the show needed to include the aftermath of the protests as well.[3][5] The brothers were eventually able to meet with some Egyptian activists to gain more insight for the show, including Wael Ghonim and Ganzeer, who created the poster art for the show.[3][6] Early drafts of the show told the story non-linearly, but the decision was eventually made to stick to a chronological telling of events.[7]

The show had its first reading at Columbia University.[8] In 2015, the production had a residency at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center's National Music Conference.[8][9][10]

The show was part of the National Alliance for Musical Theatre's Festival of New Musicals in 2016.[9][8] At the time the show was a single act.[8] That same year, the show had a residency at the American Repertory Theater.[4] The show was workshopped at American University in Cairo in 2017.[2][3][6] The show also had a staged reading at the New York Theatre Workshop in April of that year.[8]

The show premiered on in 2019 at the American Repertory Theater's Loeb Drama Center.[1][11] Previews began 14 May, with opening night on 22 May.[12] The show was directed by Taibi Magar and choreographed by Samar Haddad King.[10][12] The production used projections to create outdoor scenes and to show actual social media posts, footage, and photographs from the 2011 protests.[3][13][14]

In August 2024, it was announced that We Live in Cairo would receive an Off-Broadway run at the New York Theatre Workshop from October 27 to November 24, following previews beginning on October 9.[15][16] The announced cast included Ali Louis Bourzgui as Amir, Drew Elhamalawy as Hassan, John El-Jor as Karim, Nadina Hassan as Layla, Michael Khalid Karadsheh as Hany, and Rotana Tarabzouni as Fadwa.[16] The production was directed by Taibi Magar.[17]

Plot

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2019 production

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Act l

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The show begins with the actors teaching the audience a protest song ("Genealogy of Revolution").[14][18][19][20]

Six young Egyptian students from the American University in Cairo (Amir, Fadwa, Hany, Hassan, Karim, and Layla) meet in a warehouse to discuss demonstration tactics ("Loud Voice").[18][19][21] Layla takes photographs in Cairo and notices the poverty around her ("Cairo Street Scenes").[19] After a student is killed by the Egyptian police, the six take to the streets and to social media to protest ("Flap My Wings").[9][13] Karim goes out one night to paint a mural in support of the protesters ("Wall Song").[19]

Amir, a Christian, falls for Layla, who is Muslim.[13][18] He composes a song for her ("Movement").[13][19] Amir later finishes a song he has been working on to inspire his friends, and plays it for them ("Tahrir is Now").[19]

The act ends with the students protesting at Tahrir Square and Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak being ousted from power ("The 18 Days").[13][18][19]

Act ll

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Mohammed Morsi is elected to power.[13] Hany believes the results of the free election should be respected, while Fadwa disagrees, thinking Morsi is just as much of a tyrant as Mubarak.[13][18][21] Hassan's connections to the Muslim Brotherhood cause further conflict.[10] Disagreements splinter the group, with Hany moving to New York City to attend law school.[18][21]

Amir is killed in Rabaa Square during a protest.[14] Hany returns to Egypt but is arrested, along with Fadwa.[14] Layla visits Hany in prison, where she reaffirms her commitment to not only survive in Cairo, but to live in Cairo ("Living Here").[19]

2024 production

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Act I

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The characters gather at a celebration. Initially, Layla thinks the event is meant to celebrate her boyfriend Amir's new album, co-created by his brother, Hany, but the event turns out to be celebrating the release of Fadwa, a protester who was in prison. While gathered, they see photos of Khaled Said, a student killed in police custody.

The six take part in the Tahrir Square protests, and on Day 18 of the protests, Hosni Mubarak is ousted from power.

Act II

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The characters become divided following the election of Mohammed Morsi, with Fadwa urging further activism, while Hany considers their objective - a democratic election - to have been completed.

Characters

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  • Amir – a Coptic Christian songwriter and guitar player who is Hany's brother.[14] He falls in love with Layla.[10][13]
  • Fadwa – a "firebrand" activist who spent time in prison for a previous protest.[13][22][14][21]
  • Hany – Amir's brother, a Copt songwriter and aspring lawyer,[10] who is less enthusiastic about the potential relationship between his brother and Layla.[13]
  • Hassan – a graffiti propagandist with family connections to the Muslim Brotherhood[10][13][14]
  • Karim – a graffiti propagandist who is a mentor to and attracted to Hassan[10][13][22]
  • Layla – a Muslim photographer who is in love with Amir[10][13]

Music

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The 2019 production had a band with seven musicians (Madeline Smith, Naseem Alatrash, Kate Foss, Bengisu Gökçe, Nacho González Nappa, Ghassan Sawalhi, Jeremy Smith)[10] playing doumbek, hand drums, guitar, oud, and strings.[3][13][18] The show's music was characterized as mixing punk, traditional Middle Eastern music, and 1960s folk music.[18] The Lazours have cited Sayed Darwish, Ramy Essam, Fairuz, Umm Kulthum, and Sheikh Imam as musical influences.[2]

Flap My Wings: Songs from We Live in Cairo

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On 25 January 2021 the Lazours released "Flap My Wings: Songs from We Live in Cairo", an album of songs from the show.[23][24] The songs were largely recorded not by the original cast, but by the Lazours and by popular Arab musicians.[23][24][25] "Flap My Wings" and "Genealogy of Revolution" were released as singles prior to the album's release.[24] The album does not present the songs in the order they appear in in the show.

Track listing:

  • Genealogy of Revolution (Hamed Sinno)
  • Wall Song (Hadi Eldebeck)
  • Cairo Street Scenes (Rotana)
  • Movement (Jakeim Hart, Parisa Shahmir)
  • Loud Voice (Haboya, Mohamed Araki, Mohamed Sharhabil)
  • Flap My Wings (The Lazours)
  • Living Here (Emel Mathlouthi)
  • Each & Every Name (Naseem Alatrash)
  • The 18 Days, Pt. 1 (In the Morning) (Original cast)
  • The 18 Days, Pt. 2 (A Million People) (Original cast)
  • The 18 Days, Pt. 3 (Our Square) (Original cast)
  • Tahrir is Now (Ramy Essam)
  • Dreaming Words (Demo) (The Lazours)

Cast

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2019 American Repertory Theater[12][26] 2024 Off-Broadway
Amir Jakeim Hart Ali Louis Bourzgui
Fadwa Dana Saleh Omar Rotana Tarabzouni
Hany Abubakr Ali Michael Khalid Karadsheh
Hassan Gil Perez-Abraham Drew Elhamalawy
Karim Sharif Afifi John El-Jor
Layla Parisa Shahmir Nadina Hassan
Ensemble Waseem Alzer, Layan Elwazani

Reception

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The 2019 production saw mostly positive reviews from Arab Stages,[14] the Boston Herald,[18] GBH,[27] New York Stage Review,[13] New England Theatre Geek,[9] and TwoCircles.[28] The show received mixed to negative reviews from the Arts Fuse,[29] The Boston Globe,[22] and The Theatre Times.[20] Several reviews felt the show needed a more intimate space than the Loeb Drama Center.[9][13]

The 2024 production also saw mixed reviews,[30] with many reviews praising the show's design but criticizing its book.[31][32][33] Vulture noted "the Lazours have crafted a piece that is long on emotion with melodies that can burn with revolutionary fervor, if at the expense of clarity and structural coherence".[34] New York Stage Review[35] and New York Theatre Guide gave positive reviews of the production, with the latter calling it "timeless and beyond any single movement".[36]

Awards

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References

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  1. ^ a b "We Live in Cairo at A.R.T. May 14 – June 23, 2019". americanrepertorytheater.org. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Wallenberg, Christopher (9 May 2019). "With 'We Live in Cairo,' Boylston's Lazour brothers are at the biggest stage of their career". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Musical-Drama 'We Live In Cairo' Follows Egypt's Arab Spring From Hope To Despair". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  4. ^ a b Nesbitt, Joy (31 January 2020). "Their Take on the Arab Spring Is Remaking Musical Theater". OZY. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  5. ^ a b Simon, Clea (17 May 2019). "Musical about 2011 Egyptian uprising to premiere at American Repertory Theater". Harvard Gazette. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  6. ^ a b ""We Live in Cairo": a Musical Rendition of the Egyptian Revolution Comes to the US Stage". Egyptian Streets. 30 May 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  7. ^ "Daniel and Patrick Lazour Talk About How We Live in Cairo Became the Show It Is Today". TheaterMania.com. 30 October 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d e "We Live In Cairo". NAMT. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  9. ^ a b c d e Drexel, Kitty (23 May 2019). "We Will Be Free When We Are All Free: "We Live in Cairo"". The New England Theatre Geek. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Grossman, Nancy. "Review: We Live in Cairo: You Say You Want a Revolution". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  11. ^ Skethway, Nathan (10 May 2019). "A Look Inside Rehearsals for We Live in Cairo at A.R.T." Playbill. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  12. ^ a b c Fujishima, Kenji (14 May 2019). "We Live in Cairo at American Repertory Theater Releases Production Photos". TheaterMania. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p Verini, Bob (24 May 2019). "We Live in Cairo: An Arab-Spring Awakening". New York Stage Review. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h Litvin, Margaret (2019). "We Live in Cairo". arabstages.org. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  15. ^ Duckett, Richard. "Boylston brothers Daniel and Patrick Lazour's 'We Live in Cairo' set for Off-Broadway". Worcester Magazine. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  16. ^ a b Russo, Gillian (28 August 2024). "'We Live in Cairo' sets full Off-Broadway cast". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
  17. ^ Miller, Deb (3 November 2024). "The journey of six Egyptian student activists of the Arab Spring in 'We Live in Cairo' Off-Broadway at New York Theatre Workshop". DC Theater Arts. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i Gottlieb, Jed (25 May 2019). "'We Live in Cairo' addresses universal struggles for freedom". Boston Herald. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  19. ^ a b c d e f g h "Track-by-Track Breakdown: The Lazours Found a Way to Flap Their Wings During a Pandemic". Playbill. 21 April 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  20. ^ a b Myers, Rem (27 May 2019). ""We Live in Cairo:" Fully Committed, Still in Beta-Testing". The Theatre Times. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  21. ^ a b c d Halawa, Ahmed (19 June 2019). "The Story of the 2011 Egyptian Uprising Told in Song and Dance". Al-Fanar Media. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  22. ^ a b c Aucoin, Don (23 May 2019). "In ART's 'We Live in Cairo,' the strains of a revolution". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  23. ^ a b Ell, Jenny (12 January 2021). "Songs from musical We Live In Cairo to feature on Daniel and Patrick Lazour's forthcoming album". www.westendbestfriend.co.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  24. ^ a b c Duckett, Richard. "Boylston's Lazour brothers release "Flap My Wings: Songs from We Live in Cairo" album". The Worcester Telegram & Gazette. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  25. ^ El Homaïssi, Lama (2 February 2021). "Patrick& Daniel Lazour with Lama El Homaïssi". The Brooklyn Rail. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  26. ^ Henry, Alan. "Review Roundup: What Did Critics Think of We Live in Cairo at American Repertory Theater?". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  27. ^ "Arts This Week: 'Rhapsody,' 'We Live in Cairo,' 'School Girls' and 'The Ebonic Woman'". WGBH. 23 May 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  28. ^ Fatima, Nikhat (16 June 2019). "Play review: We Live in Cairo". TwoCircles.net. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  29. ^ Caggiano, Christopher (24 May 2019). "Theater Review: "We Live in Cairo" – A Well-Intentioned But Amateurish Musical Take on The Arab Spring". The Arts Fuse. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  30. ^ "Review: We Live in Cairo, a Rent for the Egyptian Revolution". TheaterMania.com. 28 October 2024. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  31. ^ "'We Live in Cairo' Falls Short of Being Revolutionary". The New York Times. 27 October 2024.
  32. ^ Canacci, Bill. "'Rent'-like musical 'We Live in Cairo' presents protest, revolution during Arab Spring". North Jersey Media Group. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  33. ^ Ross (7 November 2024). "NYTW's "We Live in Cairo" Sings Strong of Revolution". Times Square Chronicles. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  34. ^ McHenry, Jackson (28 October 2024). "International Arrivals: We Live in Cairo and Bad Kreyòl". Vulture. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  35. ^ Finkle, David (28 October 2024). "We Live in Cairo: 2012 Egyptian Revolution Set to Music, Craftily Explored". New York Stage Review. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  36. ^ Fimmano, Austin (27 October 2024). "'We Live in Cairo' review — love in the time of the Arab Spring". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved 12 November 2024.
  37. ^ "2016 Richard Rodgers Awards – American Academy of Arts and Letters". artsandletters.org. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
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