Richard III,
An Arab Tragedy

About.

Richard III, An Arab Tragedy, 2007-09
Written & Directed by Sulayman Al Bassam

Dramaturgy & Editor- Georgina Van Welie

Running time, 110 minutes
Performed in English and Arabic

Premiere: Washington DC, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, New York,
Kuwait, Damascus, Paris, Amsterdam, Stratford-upon-Avon, Athens.

Shakespeare’s text is uprooted from the mediaeval Christian world, reworked and transplanted into the scorching oil-rich Islamic world of the Gulf today. The play unfolds within the hothouse, feudal atmosphere of desert palaces in an oil-rich kingdom. In this world of tribal allegiances, family in-fighting and absolute power, the questions of leadership, religion and foreign intervention that are at the heart of Shakespeare’s play, take on powerful new meanings in a modern context.

The production is a window into the often misunderstood world of the Arabian Gulf in all its richness: its social customs, musical heritage and some of its darker mystical rituals. The production is accompanied by a live sound track, with the chants of pearl divers sounding alongside modern sampled sounds, live African melodies and music from the desert areas of the Arabian peninsula.