David Yazbek and Itamar Moses’ The Band's Visit officially opened on Broadway November 9, 2017, and was recently nominated for 11 Tony Awards.
Based on the screenplay by Eran Kolirin, The Band’s Visit follows the story of an Egyptian police band, who, after a mixup at the border, find themselves in a remote village in the middle of the Israeli desert. With no bus or hotel in sight, the band members are led into unlikely friendships with some of the locals, causing their lives to intertwine in unexpected and spectacular ways.
The show celebrates 200 performances May 4, which also would have been Umm Kulthum’s 114th birthday. The song “Omar Sharif,” sung by Tony nominee Katrinka Lenk, pays tribute to iconic Egyptian artists Sharif and Kulthum.
Kulthum is considered a national icon in her native Egypt, has been dubbed “the voice of Egypt,” and remains the most revered legendary singer in Egypt and the entire Arabic speaking world.
Flip through photos of the celebration below:
