Bashar, Haya, and Fuad: “7,000 people per day... it’s out of this world”

The cast of the play “Mintakha Al-Khiran” returned to Kuwait after its highly successful performances in the Sultanate of Oman, specifically in Muscat, at the Al-‘Arfan Theater within the Oman Convention and Exhibition Center, which seats 3,500 spectators. The play stars Maggie Bougassan, Bashar Al-Shatti, Haya Abdul Salam, Fouad Ali, Abdullah Abdul Razaq, Iman Al-Husseini, Sumoud Al-Mu’min, Rawan Al-Ali, Mohammed Al-Mansouri, Al-Ghalia, Mishari Al-Qabandi, Ahmed Al-Awadi, and Shahd Al-Amiri. It is written by Ahmed Al-Awadi and directed by Shamlan Al-Nassar.

Al-Anba newspaper spoke with Haya Abdul Salam upon her return. She said, “The two shows we performed in the Sultanate of Oman were truly exceptional. Honestly, this theatrical production changed my perspective on many things. I witnessed things I hadn’t seen in a long time. The success was different because there was genuine love from within, and that love is driving the success, praise be to God. It was the first time I saw with my own eyes 7,000 people attending in a single night, present at both shows on the same day. Seeing the audience fill all three tiers of the theater, with everyone singing along and enjoying themselves alongside us, naturally brings joy. You feel the success, and as artists, seeing each other on stage fills us with pride. It felt like something out of a dream, and praise be to God. We experienced the same level of success when we were in Dubai, and we are currently continuing our run in Kuwait, maintaining this beautiful success, having already reached approximately 70 performances.”

As for the star Fouad Ali, he said, “I am very happy with our performance in the Sultanate of Oman. We performed two shows at the Al-‘Arfan Theater, and by God’s will, there was a large public turnout. Each show was completely sold out, and the theater holds 3,500 spectators. The Omani audience was very interactive, and we were delighted by their presence and engagement. Before that, we performed in Dubai, where our shows were also fully attended. We are currently continuing our performances in Kuwait, and after Kuwait, we have a tour scheduled in Qatar and Saudi Arabia.”

Meanwhile, the star Bashar Al-Shatti said, “We are very pleased with the success of ‘Mintakha Al-Khiran’ in the beloved Sultanate of Oman. We performed two shows that felt like a dream at the Al-‘Arfan Theater, which is a world-class venue by all standards. Imagine having 3,500 people in attendance for each show; this is a very large number and truly fantastical. We enjoyed ourselves with the Omani audience, whose welcome and affection for us were immense. This was our second stop on the Gulf tour, following our performances in beloved Dubai. Afterward, we will have shows in Qatar and then in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Currently, we are continuing our performances in Kuwait with our dear audience. I would like to thank everyone in the Sultanate of Oman for this organization, this warm welcome, and this wonderful attendance. I also thank the entire production team, including the artists, technicians, and those working behind the scenes, for their efforts in presenting these shows in a manner befitting them, thereby raising Kuwait’s name across all Gulf performances.”