The Unforgettable Line

In 2011, a number of Egyptian youth groups gathered together in Tahrir (Liberation) Square to protest the corrupt authoritarian rule of President Hosni Mubarak.  His 30 year stranglehold on power had led to economic stagnation, human rights violations, and media restrictions.  The young peoples’ acts of civil disobedience in concert with a series of labor strikes forced Mubarak’s resignation and brought about a democratic election.  Their victory was short lived, however, and Egypt now stands at a miserable 18 out of 100 on the Freedom House scale.  

Inspired by a photo of several of the activist artists, brothers Daniel and Patrick Lazour wrote We Live in Cairo, developing the score and book over ten years.  The results are inconsistent in their ability to sway the audience, primarily carried along on waves of tuneful music.  Most numbers combine instruments and musical themes from Egypt with traditional structures including love ballads and rock anthems.  Director Taibi Magar joined the collaboration to add depth and movement to song.  The voices of the all-Arab ensemble blend beautifully (vocal arrangements by Madeline Benson) even when their characters falter.  For the scene depicting the toughest days of uprising, the musicians join the actors center stage, enveloping them with melody.

The atmosphere developed by the design team wraps the audience in the sights and sounds of the struggle for freedom.  Tilly Grimes’ set is kept simple with a collection of pillows, rugs, lamps and household items filling a few shelves. The visual emphasis is on the evocative projections designed by David Bengali, some of which appear overhead.  He and lighting designer Bradley King added their graphical layers to the look and feel when they joined the crew during the run at A.R.T. in Boston.

Unfortunately, the story, though it was restructured several times, lacks the same level of vibrancy.  While the idea of looking at this revolution through varying lenses of artistry, policy, and simple human compassion is an interesting concept, the issues are all frustratingly abbreviated and the actions poorly motivated. Initially apolitical and fearful, Layla (Nadina Hassan) suddenly turns her entire life inside out based on exposure to a single image.  The societal significance of her boyfriend, Amir (Ali Louis Bourzgui), and his brother Hany (Michael Khalid Karadsheh) living as Coptic Christians in the majority Muslim country is mentioned, but never meaningfully explored.  Fadwa (Rotana Tarabzouni) is so driven by her identity as the child of dissidents that her every opinion becomes a cause which muddies their significance.  The attraction between the majestic Karim (John El-Jor) and the tentative Hassan (Drew Elhamalawy) is covered over as quickly as one of Karim’s satiric murals.  The vagaries of this critical thread border on homophobic.  Even the impact from country’s former status as a British colony doesn’t receive more than a single line.

New York Theater Workshop, which has been helping to nourish this production for nearly 7 of the 10 development years, has done what they can to broaden the world of the play beyond the walls of the theater.  E-tickets include the promotion of local Egyptian restaurants, invitations to post-show topical talkbacks at their sister space, and lighter cultural fare like a hummus-making contest.   A brief historical timeline and the “origin story” of the production are inserted into the program.

Like the ending of the Arab Spring it depicts, We Live in Cairo ultimately fizzles.  But it leaves behind a feeling of purpose that makes the experience worthwhile at this delicate point in our own history.  The Off-Broadway premiere continues through November 24 at New York Theatre Workshop, 79 East 4th Street in Manhattan. The performance runs 2 ½ hours with one intermission and contains images and sounds of a violent nature.  Tickets begin at $49 and can be purchased at https://www.nytw.org/show/we-live-in-cairo/tickets/ or by calling the NYTW box office at 212-460-5475.  You will get a better sense of place seated further back from the stage.  This is the first play of four in the NYTW 2024-25 season and subscriptions are still available for as little as $230.