Ensemble Cast

The Kimmel Center, as part of its 2019-2020 Broadway Philadelphia series, is presenting The Band’s Visit at the Academy of Music through January 19, 2020. This one-act is a surprising vision of stark sets, delightful projections and phenomenal music.

 A Superscript begins with:

 No one has ever heard this story

 It is not very important.

 An Egyptian orchestral ensemble appears on the doorsteps of an Israeli cafe which is located in the middle of nowhere. Laughter ensues as the language barrier between the owner and the bandleader explains the confusion. The band has chosen the wrong destination for their expected concert the following evening. Dina, the café owner, declares that speaking in English would help everyone. Perhaps out of boredom, perhaps because she is inherently kind, Dina, (Janet Dacal) offers to feed the band in the café and later to put them up for the night. Yet we see another side of Dina as she sits in a night spot with the band leader (Sasson Gabbay). Dina sees her lover out with his wife in “their” place and becomes jealous so she calls out to him. A short angry exchange in Hebrew ensues between Dina and her boyfriend Sammy (Marc Ginsburg) as his wife walks offstage. It is brief and doesn’t matter whether or not the audience can understand the words. She then turns all of her attention back to the bandleader Tewfiq. The Band’s Visit begins with a minimalistic set with a partial circular revolving stage. This leads to the ease of multiple set changes by adding chairs, lamps and tables. The bare walls are a surprising set-up for future projections which play an integral part of this beautiful production. As scenes progress, they become progressively more complex. Bare walls turn and rooms have a small amount of furniture. Egyptian band members  interact with Israelis, finding common ground. Music is the universal language that connects them. Walls turn again and Dina is magnificently shadowed on a back wall as she slowly moves across the stage, singing “Omar Sharif". Underlying everything is the music. There is always the band’s music, either accompanying the singers or playing in groups of two or three in the corner of the stage or solo as part of the script. It is delightfully both Middle Eastern and contemporary. The music sets a basis for commonality in the two distinct cultures. There is a comedic note running throughout the story. A Telephone Guy (Mike Cefalo) waits by a phone booth for a girl to return his call. As various characters pass him, some will ask “Has she called yet?” to which he always replies, “Soon.” He tries to fend off others from using the phone booth in case he should miss his call. What a joyful moment when the phone rings! After the band has departed the following day, Dina closes the café with a parting, “This is not a very important story.” It is, however, a very important story. It is a story of people from one culture helping to solve problems in another; it is the story of people forgetting their differences and joining together over their similarities.  To see the wonderful acting of this ensemble cast, the marvelous blend of melodies in their singing, and the breathtaking music of the band, visit www.kimmelcenter.org for tickets or more information. It is not music that you will sing on your way out of the theatre but it is music that you will revel in while you are there.