The back stage areas of the play “Innas Illy Bittaalet” (People on Third Floor) performed at the National Theater have witnessed a new crisis between the scriptwriter Osama Anwar Ukashah and the play star Riyad al-Khooli.
The crisis has erupted due to a statement in the play by Al Khooli, who performs the role of a police officer saying “son, switch TV on and get us Fifi Abdo”. Ukashah considered this as a deviation from the text that should be encountered.
Ukashah told Asharq al-Awsat daily that he would not allow such fiddling around and that the National Theater has its traditions that should be respected. Ukashah is keen on going to the theater daily and sitting on one of the spectators’ seats to ensure personally that these principles are respected, he said.
“I experienced two bitter incidents at the private theater sector that I do not wish to repeat at the state’s theater,” Ukashah said.
The director believes that the deviation on the part of Khooli even in one statement would give the rest of the stars the right in inserting new sentences, which would undermine the original text eventually.
“If this recurs, I shall resort to court,” the celebrated writer said.
Meanwhile, Khooli considered the matter as something normal and not worth of making a crisis out of it.
He said the phrase that makes the audience laugh every night comes harmonious with the role he plays.
The same play witnessed many crises before it went on stage due to the order of cast on the play’s ads. This has made the director of the National Theater, Huda Wasfi, interfere and reach a compromise. Furthermore the text itself was held for eight years with the Egyptian censors because it included a number of political taboos – Albawaba.com
