Nabati poetry penned by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, will become a musical theatrical spectacular at the Dubai World Trade Centre next month.
Al Faris (The Knight) is inspired by poems on loyalty, love, humanity, courage and leadership from Sheikh Mohammed and will be brought to the stage by Brand Dubai and Rahbani Productions from January 6 to 9.
Al Faris is a tale of a saviour determined to keep his people safe and create a better world, while at the same time trying to save his beloved from hooligans.
Lebanese singer and theatre actor Ghassan Saliba plays Al Faris and Emirati soprano Balqees Fathi debuts as a theatre actor with the role of Shomoos, the lover.
Creators said the production set out to establish Dubai as a cultural hub in the Arab world.
“Culture and heritage are deeply rooted in the city,” said Salem Belyouha, the director of media services at Dubai Media Office and production manager.
“We are trying to emphasise that cultural background and have teamed up with theatre icons in the Middle East to create this production,” he said.
Composers Marwan, Ghady and Oussama Rahbani used oriental music and an orchestra to back the poems that were sung in the Emirati dialect and pre-recorded for the show.
Desert scenes from the emirate were shot to add a multimedia element to the production, which was put together in six months, with more than 100 singers and dancers and an 800-strong crew.
“It’s a love story that swings between love and kindness and bad and good,” Ghady said.
“But we want to say that the knight in our musical is not Sheikh Mohammed and the city is not Dubai. This is a fantasy place we have created with a dramatic script and our music.”
aahmed@thenational.ae
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Qalandars 109-3 (10ovs)
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Bangla Tigers win by six wickets
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The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
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Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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
How to wear a kandura
Dos
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Don’ts
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
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The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
THE LOWDOWN
Photograph
Rating: 4/5
Produced by: Poetic License Motion Pictures; RSVP Movies
Director: Ritesh Batra
Cast: Nawazuddin Siddiqui, Sanya Malhotra, Farrukh Jaffar, Deepak Chauhan, Vijay Raaz
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 201hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 320Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 6-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 8.7L/100km
Price: Dh133,900
On sale: now
if you go
The flights Fly Dubai, Air Arabia, Emirates, Etihad, and Royal Jordanian all offer direct, three-and-a-half-hour flights from the UAE to the Jordanian capital Amman. Alternatively, from June Fly Dubai will offer a new direct service from Dubai to Aqaba in the south of the country. See the airlines’ respective sites for varying prices or search on reliable price-comparison site Skyscanner.
The trip
Jamie Lafferty was a guest of the Jordan Tourist Board. For more information on adventure tourism in Jordan see Visit Jordan. A number of new and established tour companies offer the chance to go caving, rock-climbing, canyoning, and mountaineering in Jordan. Prices vary depending on how many activities you want to do and how many days you plan to stay in the country. Among the leaders are Terhaal, who offer a two-day canyoning trip from Dh845 per person. If you really want to push your limits, contact the Stronger Team. For a more trek-focused trip, KE Adventure offers an eight-day trip from Dh5,300 per person.
Company profile
Name: Fruitful Day
Founders: Marie-Christine Luijckx, Lyla Dalal AlRawi, Lindsey Fournie
Based: Dubai, UAE
Founded: 2015
Number of employees: 30
Sector: F&B
Funding so far: Dh3 million
Future funding plans: None at present
Future markets: Saudi Arabia, potentially Kuwait and other GCC countries