Photos by T Charles Erickson
“The Band’s Visit” — Music and Lyrics by David Yazbek. Book by Itamar Moses. Based on the Screenplay by Eran Kolirin. Directed by Paul Daigneault; Choreography by Daniel Pelzig. Music Direction by José Delgado. Scenic Design by Wilson Chin and Jimmy Stubbs. Costume Design by Miranda Kau Giurleo. Lighting Design by Aja M. Jackson. Sound Design by Joshua Millican. Produced by Huntington Theatre in collaboration with SpeakEasy Stage at 264 Huntington Ave. Boston through December 17.
By Linda Chin
As the house lights go down and the overture (conducted by music director extraordinaire José Delgado) begins, a message is projected on a large-screen: “Once, not long ago, a group of musicians came to Israel from Egypt. You probably didn’t hear about it. It wasn’t very important.” Bookending the production, this message is reiterated at the show’s conclusion by Dina (a dazzling Jennifer Apple), the owner of a café in Bet Hatikvah (a fictional town), Israel, 1996, where an Egyptian police band led by Tewfiq (solidly portrayed by Brian Thomas Abraham) has mistakenly arrived. The next bus doesn’t depart until the next day, and the band is hungry, tired, and stranded.
Dina and her workers Papi and Itzik (winning performances by Jesse Garlick and Jared Troilo) describe their town as boring and blah, blah, blah (“Welcome to Nowhere”) and graciously offer to host the band members overnight. This story is about two groups of people of two different nationalities and cultures communicating about common problems of life, love, and loss using their common languages of English and music, and includes humor, drama, and collaborative problem solving. At the end of the show (which I didn’t want to end), I think you will likely agree that this story is very, very, very important. And that, like music itself, Huntington and Speakeasy’s co-production of ‘The Band’s Visit’ is mesmerizing, uplifting, seductive, inspiring, and complex, and makes the world go round.
The minimalistic set designed by Wilson Chin and Jimmy Stubbs and the lighting design by Aja M. Jackson provide exactly what is needed for the story to be distilled to its essence of what it means to be human and for the actors to shine. A simple archway defines the café, and a phone booth, crib, tables, chairs, and benches anchor the scenes. The vignettes that comprise the production are simple but intensely intimate stories of longing and desire. The standing phone booth in the center of town where the character Telephone Guy (Noah Kieserman) hangs out waiting for his girlfriend to call is a recurring element. Itzik brings band members Camal (Andrew Mayer) and Simon (James Rana) home to the apartment he shares with his wife Iris (Marianna Bassham), and their new infant in time for dinner. Iris seems quite sullen, but her father Avrum (Robert Saoud), who is visiting, describes how music was central in his relationship with his late wife and delivers a powerfully poignant rendition of “The Beat of Your Heart.” Their musical evening continues with Simon playing a clarinet concerto, Itzik and Camal singing a gorgeous “Itzik’s Lullaby,” and the group singing a cross-culturally-influenced “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess.
Three wonderful moments in the production take place on benches. The band’s trumpet leader and ladies’ man, Haled (a charismatic Kareem Elsamadicy), joins Papi and three other town residents at the town’s skating rink. Zelger (Fady Demian) and his girlfriend Anna (Emily Qualmann), are trying to set Papi up with Julia (Josephine Moshiri Elwood), but he is nervous and shy around women. When he tries to approach her, “Papi Hears the Ocean,” and is frozen with anxiety. With Haled’s gentle coaching, Papi summons up the courage to skate towards a bench she is resting on. Haled then continues his Cyrano-like support of Papi and joins them on the bench until he sidles up next to her. Their connection is one of the most hilarious and tender moments I’ve seen onstage in quite some time.
Later, walking home after a pleasant dinner out with Dina and Tewfiq bonding over Arab music and Egyptian movies starring Omar Sharif, the pair stop by a “park” with a “view” (that is in Dina’s imagination) and sit together on an iron bench. They start out sitting awkwardly at opposite ends while they (and we) try to anticipate what might happen next. The song “Something Different,” first sung together and then soulfully reprised by Dina solo, is a showstopper.
When the band arrives at their intended destination, the Arab Culture Center in Petah Tikvah, the band members settle in their places on a long bench that spans the scrim upstage, Tewfiq raises his arms to conduct, and the concert begins. The audience’s resounding rounds of applause are for all the musicians and artists on stage and off, for conductors Tewfiq Zakariacrew and Paul Daigneault, and for the Huntington and Speakeasy for pulling off a wondrous collaboration. May there be many encores. For tickets and information, go to: https://www.huntingtontheatre.org/
