By Lucy Komisar
This powerful musical drama is about a group of artistic friends – musicians, wall spray painter, photographer – who, prompted by the political radical among them, organize participation in the 2011 “Arab Spring” movement in Egypt that brought down U.S.-supported dictator Hosni Mubarak. It was written by Daniel and Patrick Lazour, brothers who grew up in Massachusetts.
The first long part is about the friends, their relationships, their music (mostly soft rock), and just at a time I wanted to leave, it gets to the drama of the challenge to Mubarak, which is when I wanted to stay. I’d have cut a half hour off the start, but the drama that following was exciting, stunning. Direction by Taibi Magar.
At the start, artist Karim (John El-Jor) wears a papier maché head of Mubarak. A descendent of King Farouk, he is stopped by police and demands, “Do you know who I am?” A photographer, Layla (Nadina Hassan), declares “I am not political.” But she will be. Her boyfriend, Amir, a Coptic Christian (the appealing Ali Louis Bourzgui), is a songwriter. A journalist works for a state paper.
In Egypt, it is a time of repression and torture. (It still is.) The activist, Fadwa (a very strong Rotana Tarabzouni), has been in jail and knows she will go back.
The best part of the play is the January 2011 protest at Cairo’s central Tahrir Square. The video on the backdrop shows ordinary people, 22,000 at the event, 102 killed in 4 days. (Projection by David Bengali).
Social media reported it all, crowds cheering, tents set up in the center, hash tag #EgyRevolution. A sign “USA – That’s Enough.” Amir sings a revolutionary song broadcast to the crowd.
After 18 days, Mubarak steps down. And then comes a crucial part. Because while the secularists are pushing for a new constitution, the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood puts up Mohammed Morsi to run for president. He promotes Sharia law which opposes a secular state and represses women. And with rural votes, he wins.
The group is now in conflict. Support Morsi? Hassan (Drew Elhamalawy) is of a Muslim family that favors that movement. Fadwa wants to organize against him. The others want to accept the vote. Hany (Michael Khalid Karadsheh), seeing a way out for himself, has been accepted at Columbia Law School. But Fadwa persuades him to continue the protest.
It does not turn out well for the friends who sought to make a revolution.
The end is no secret, the military overthrows Morsi and installs Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has ruled for ten years, supported by the U.S. government. In a talk-back at the end, a speaker noted that Egypt – where opposition is brutally repressed — gets the most U.S. military aid of any country in the world after Israel. And it matches Israel in its cruelty and repression of political critics, who risk prison and torture.
Americans who don’t know the story (as well as those who do) would do well to experience the Lazours’ important drama.
“We Live in Cairo.” Book, music & lyrics by Daniel and Patrick Lazour. Directed by Taibi Magar. Choreography by Ann Yee. New York Theatre Workshop. 79 East 4th Street, NYC. Runtime 2hr30min. Opened Oct 27, 2024, closes Nov 24, 2024.