At the end of my review of the touring production “The Band's Visit'' held at the Cadillac Palace Theater in 2019, I wrote that I would love to see this production at this theater. Chicago native David Cromer directed this show, and my idea was that he was inspired by the wonderful immersive versions of Picnic and A Streetcar Named Desire that he previously performed at Writer's Theater. I did.
I wasn't the only one who had that thought. Now, Writers Theater has partnered with Theater Squared to present the regional premiere of the musical, its first original production in the United States since its national Broadway tour. It was not directed by Cromer, but by Gee Alikan, who had worked as a manager around the country and was Cromer's colleague and tour assistant. The writers are also building on their recent success with the immersive style of “Once.”
One of the interesting things about “The Band's Visit,” set in 1996 and based on a screenplay by Eran Koririn for the 2007 Israeli film, is that nothing much happens. Itamar Moses' book focuses on the overnight lives of residents of Israel's remote desert town of Bet Hatikvah and members of Egypt's Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra, who are stranded at a Tel Aviv bus stop. There is. Please meet them.
They were supposed to go to Petah Tikvah to open an Arab cultural center, but due to language issues, they bought tickets to Bet Hatikvah instead, but locals say there is no cultural Not only was there no center, but there was also no culture. There are no hotels or buses until the next morning. But most of them are kind-hearted people who welcome visitors, and we witness the efforts of strangers to forge connections across cultural and personal barriers.
Much of this longing and loss, hope and frustration is expressed in David Yazbek's Middle Eastern-influenced music and lyrics. Some of the songs, like “Welcome to Nowhere” and “Papi Hears the Ocean,” about what happens every time a shy boy tries to talk to a girl, are dry and humorous. Some songs are hauntingly beautiful, like “Beat Of Your Heart,” “Omar Sharif,” and “Something Different.”
The music, played by the performers on stage and a small band offstage, engulfed us in surround sound and, thanks in part to music director Andra Veris Simon and music director Jason Barrow, the evening's high point. It is light. It incorporates oud, darbuka and Arabic percussion, and incorporates jazz, blues, classical and other genres.
The ensemble is in a whirlwind of movement most of the time, but the quiet moments are most effective. When Simon (Jonathan Chabou) finally finishes the opening lines of his Clarinet Concerto and soothes Iris (Dana Saleh Omar)'s crying baby, the entire audience seems to breathe a sigh of relief.
Simon is one of four members of the Police Orchestra, although there are a few fewer members than in the touring version. The other is Kamal (Adam Kutarshat). Chet Baker fan and flirtatious Heild (Armand Akbari) (unfortunately not playing a Baker-esque trumpet solo), and their leader and conductor, Colonel Tewfig (Rom Balcoder), a stern man suffering from tragedy. He is a very polite man. From his past.
The story centers on a possible romance between Tewfig and Dina (Sophie Madlesky), the owner of the town's cafe. A one-time dancer who feels her life is wasted and slipping away, she wants something different. Although both actors give great performances and she sings beautifully, there is never enough heat created between them.
Other townspeople the drama revolves around include Itzik (Dave Honigman), who cannot understand why his wife Iris is always angry; Avram (Michael Joseph Mitchell) is a father-in-law who misses his late wife dearly, and Telephone Guy (Harper Caruso) waits by a payphone every night for a call from his girlfriend.
Unfortunately, director Arikan and his designers do not convincingly create the atmosphere of a dusty country town. Scenic features such as some fluorescent lights and screens with blurry projections are meaningless. The different locations are so abstract that it can be difficult to understand what they are. The fact that the furniture is constantly moving does not help.
Some of the costume accessories are distracting, like Dina's bright orange Crocs and the different roller skates for each character in the roller rink scene. For example, Papi wears powder blue skates with pink wheels. The goth girl wears black skates with red pompoms and red wheels.
Arikan's blocking is also not as good as I expected. I was sitting on one side of the theater and couldn't really see what was happening on the other side because the actors were in the way. Also, by default it seems to treat the center of the house and ignore the sides, including Dina's opening lines and even the hero's closing bow.
On the other hand, intimacy is a big plus for “The Band's Visit” at Writers, and musically it's a real winner.