By Nermin Al-Houti
Who among us is not eager for “classical theater,” knowing that I am one of those who reject categorizing and labeling theater because “theater is theater ,“ as described by Aristotle. Aristotle divided theater into comedy and tragedy, each with its own rules, language, and acting tools, far from labels and divisions. Let us begin our article where the words of our article began: “Longing for classical theater”. That is what made me take the steps of a longing lover and head to the icon of Arab and Egyptian theater, the Egyptian National Theater, which presented for the third time the play ”King Lear” by the pioneer of Arab and Egyptian theater, the creative artist Yahya El-Fakharany.
Time approached 9 o’clock in the evening, announcing the start of the Egyptian National Theater’s performance. The theater’s chimes were accompanied by the voice of the creative Yahya Al-Fakharany, who asked his audience to turn off their phones, as if he was a ship captain announcing to his passengers that their journey was about to begin, taking them from one era to another, from the age of speed to the age of Shakespeare.
And so, we opened the curtain, and the expectant and enthusiastic audience follows the captain to Shakespeare’s masterpiece to experience three hours filled with beauty that words cannot describe or write about, from what I saw of the creativity in acting, set design, movement, costumes, and all the elements of the theatrical performance, a visual and auditory delight that words cannot describe can describe its beauty. Words can only stand in awe and praise of it.
King Lear, despite being a relic of the past, brings together the past, present, and future. When I see the many young faces standing alongside theatrical giants such as the artist Yahya El-Fakharany, who recite Shakespeare’s words with faith in King Lear’s letters through their creative performances, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to everyone involved in the play King Lear for making the present and future lovers of classical theater, especially Shakespearean theater.
A word of thanks, praise, and greeting to Dr Ayman Al-Shawi, director of the Egyptian National Theater, for reintroducing King Lear to the National Theater stage. I consider this a risk in a time characterized by noise, speed, and fast pace. Presenting a classic play in this day and age is a risk and a personal gamble, and indeed, Dr Ayman Al-Shawi has won and triumphed.
The enthusiastic response from audiences of all ages proves that Dr Al-Shawi won his bet. Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Dr Ayman, for sparing no effort to bring this production to the stage with its beautiful and dazzling artistic presentation for theater lovers and theater enthusiasts. Thank you from a theater lover for preserving theater in a time when it is difficult to find a theater, and for presenting us with a complete theater experience through the play King Lear.
Nermin-alhoti@hotmail.com
https://kuwaittimes.com/article/31893/