Doha: Qatar Foundation’s (QF) D’reesha Performing Arts Festival entertaines audiences with Rumi: The Musical, a show about the philosopher poet’s legacy. Final performance will be held today, Wednesday.
It is inspired by the poetry of Jalal Al Din Rumi, one of the greatest philosophers in the Islamic world.
“The musical is inspired by the global scale of Rumi’s outreach and influence, which has always broken cultural borders, and has resonated with hearts and minds across continents. The musical performance was a grand score which combined Middle Eastern elements with classical influences of contemporary musical theatre, and lyrics derived from Rumi’s poetry,” said Nadim Naaman, Rumi: The Musical co-composer and script writer, who also is playing the role of Rumi in the show.
Rumi: The Musical performance is also co-composed by Dana Al Fardan, a renowned Qatari contemporary composer, singer and songwriter; and is led by a cast of 14 actors who have appeared in popular West End and Broadway shows such as Les Misérables, The Phantom of The Opera, The Prince of Egypt, collectively representing the countries of Iran, Lebanon, Egypt, Oman, Mauritius, Pakistan, India, Malta and many others.
“As Qatar invites the world to see that the Middle East can be a home for sporting success, I passionately wish for the Middle East to be seen as a thriving home for the arts too. I’m hugely proud and excited for my co-writer Dana Al Fardan to be able to present this musical in her home country, and hope that our audiences will find an inspiration to explore music and theatre. And that the region as a whole will continue to recognise that, just as sport can, the arts can be a wonderful unifying platform for the success and talent of a nation and its people,” Naaman said.
QF’s D’reesha Performing Arts Festival will conclude on December 17. Held under the theme ‘Travel and Adventure’, it will showcase a variety of performances in Arabic and English, from music and poetry to visual arts and theatre, with the new D’reesha of Invention showcasing scientists, scholars, and researchers from the Arab world.
