War is eternal, the urge to create conflict a deep-seated human impulse – that's the depressing, sledgehammer take-home from An Iliad, a modern one-man retelling of Homer's epic poem currently running at The Arts Centre at NYU Abu Dhabi.
At the evening’s emotional climax, our narrator spouts a list of dozens of conflicts, from ancient times right up to Aleppo. What slaps the psyche hardest is not just the length of the list, but how many of these wars you might never have heard of – and the fatigue inspired by merely hearing the names of the ones you have.
Star and co-writer Denis O'Hare's (True Blood) solo turn as our haggered, bewildered bard is a ferocious tour de force, the Tony winner stalking the Red Theatre's stark stage with an crusty charisma and commanding physicality. The Storyteller's purpose is never made clear – nor is the role of the acknowledged audience, the fourth wall distinctly broken by some early call and response. The opening ten minutes is a riot, O'Hare hamming it up with copious local geographic references and stock Arabic phrases – yalla, khalas, inshallah – like a stand-up comic setting up a punchline. He even pulls out a copy of The National, to bristles of audience amusement.
But the laughs quickly became fewer and further between, as the gears switch into a selective retelling of Homer’s 2,700-year-old masterpiece, vigorously re-rendered in a mix of modern colloquialism and ancient verse. The tonal switch is set spinning into motion when an unannounced musician runs suddenly onto the stage. Picking up a double bass in the off-stage parados, Brian Ellingsen wrestles Mark Bennett’s original music to life, these haunting melody lines and frenzied percussive attacks offering a dramatic sonic counterpoint to O’Hare’s barrelling prose.
Co-written alongside director Lisa Peterson, the duo together known as Homer's Coat have authored a biting, 21st century emotional exposition of the source material, quoting stirling from Robert Fagels's muscular, musical translation without ever descending into scholarly reverence – this is, notably An Iliad, not The Iliad.
Throughout, O’Hare’s performance is immutable wildfire – baying, bellowing, pointing, hurling – at turns giddy with bloodlust, frantic and furious, sorrowful and solemn. The tragedy always feel painfully present and contemporary, rather than arms-length and ancient. Tellingly, there is more than a hint of Donald Trump to be detected in his eyebrow-rousing turns as Greek King Agamemnon – an egotistical megalomanic sadly as believable today as he was nearly three millennia ago.
An Iliad repeats at The Arts Centre, NYU Abu Dhabi, Saadiyat Island on Wednesday, March 15 at 2pm and Thursday, March 16 at 8pm. Free tickets have been exhausted but standby may be available on the door. See www.nyuad-artscenter.org.
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
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The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
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The Perfect Couple
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber, Jack Reynor
Creator: Jenna Lamia
Rating: 3/5
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
Jawan
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How to help
Send “thenational” to the following numbers or call the hotline on: 0502955999
2289 – Dh10
2252 – Dh 50
6025 – Dh20
6027 – Dh 100
6026 – Dh 200
Results
2pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (Dirt) 1,200m, Winner: Mouheeb, Tom Marquand (jockey), Nicholas Bachalard (trainer)
2.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Honourable Justice, Royston Ffrench, Salem bin Ghadayer
3pm: Handicap (TB) Dh84,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dahawi, Antonio Fresu, Musabah Al Muhairi
3.30pm: Conditions (TB) Dh100,000 (D) 1,200m, Winner: Dark Silver, Fernando Jara, Ahmad bin Harmash
4pm: Maiden (TB) Dh60,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Dark Of Night. Antonio Fresu, Al Muhairi.
4.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh68,000 (D) 1,600m, Winner: Habah, Pat Dobbs, Doug Watson
RESULTS
Catchweight 82kg
Piotr Kuberski (POL) beat Ahmed Saeb (IRQ) by decision.
Women’s bantamweight
Corinne Laframboise (CAN) beat Cornelia Holm (SWE) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Omar Hussein (PAL) beat Vitalii Stoian (UKR) by unanimous decision.
Welterweight
Josh Togo (LEB) beat Ali Dyusenov (UZB) by unanimous decision.
Flyweight
Isaac Pimentel (BRA) beat Delfin Nawen (PHI) TKO round-3.
Catchweight 80kg
Seb Eubank (GBR) beat Emad Hanbali (SYR) KO round 1.
Lightweight
Mohammad Yahya (UAE) beat Ramadan Noaman (EGY) TKO round 2.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) beat Reydon Romero (PHI) submission 1.
Welterweight
Juho Valamaa (FIN) beat Ahmed Labban (LEB) by unanimous decision.
Featherweight
Elias Boudegzdame (ALG) beat Austin Arnett (USA) by unanimous decision.
Super heavyweight
Maciej Sosnowski (POL) beat Ibrahim El Sawi (EGY) by submission round 1.
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
Dubai World Cup prize money
Group 1 (Purebred Arabian) 2000m Dubai Kahayla Classic - $750,000
Group 2 1,600m(Dirt) Godolphin Mile - $750,000
Group 2 3,200m (Turf) Dubai Gold Cup – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Turf) Al Quoz Sprint – $1,000,000
Group 2 1,900m(Dirt) UAE Derby – $750,000
Group 1 1,200m (Dirt) Dubai Golden Shaheen – $1,500,000
Group 1 1,800m (Turf) Dubai Turf – $4,000,000
Group 1 2,410m (Turf) Dubai Sheema Classic – $5,000,000
Group 1 2,000m (Dirt) Dubai World Cup– $12,000,000
MO
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