The comic play "Faouk Al-Dakkeh" was performed in Beirut this week.
The play was written by Mounir Keserouani and directed by Berg Vazelian. The Poet Youssef Shalhoub wrote the lyrics which were set to music by Hadi Khalil.
A number of Lebanese actors participated in performing the comedy: Mireille Banousian, Hadi Khalil, Jamal Hamdan, Fadi Al-Rifaii, Maya Al-Assmar, Paul Abu-Karam, Jocelyne Ghali, Wissam Keserouani, Hassan Al-Ali, Claudine Ghali, and Mounir Keserouani.
The two major characters of the play are Ismail and Um Teaan who become grandparents as their daughter, who lives in Beirut's southern suburbs, gives birth.
They leave their village of Safd Al-Meqti in the South and come to visit their daughter and share her joy with her new baby boy.
After spending two weeks with her, they return to their village. But when they arrive, they are shocked by the sight of their damaged house that was shelled by Israeli occupying forces.
But what they discover underneath is a well that dates backs to the Roman era and a wall of mosaics.
The play tackles in a sarcastic manner the conflict between the decent man and that group of opportunist people who build their happiness on the ruin of others.
The play also embodies the loss of spiritual values. It deals with the subject from a humanistic angle.
The events are set in a framework of sarcasm posing questions which give the play a special importance.
Statements made by writer and actor Mounir Keserouani during a press conference held on the occasion of the opening of his new play, "Faouq Al-Dakkeh": “Concerning "Faouq Al-Dakkeh", I was inspired by an incident I read about in As-safir on July, 10, 1998 entitled: " Judicial moves to keep antiquities, a citizen destroys unearthed artifacts in Sidon. Through this work, my writing experience gained depth. I leaned upon the work of Stanislav Stratiev, "A Roman Bathroom". I also benefited from the views of Director Berg Vazilian and artist Ghazi Qahwaji and Mireille Banousian.”—Albawaba.com
© 2001 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
