Al-Adl: Kuwait the First Gulf Country to Embrace Theater and Encourage Culture
Writer Madhat Al-Adl announces a musical play about the life of Umm Kulthum at the Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Centre in Kuwait next December.
Translated by Qiyas from الجريدة — Original source
Egyptian writer and producer Dr. Madhat Al-Adl expressed his great joy at visiting Kuwait and presenting the play “Umm Kulthum... Drowning in the Lady’s Voice” to the Kuwaiti audience, saying, “Welcome to my family, friends, sisters, and loved ones from Kuwait, a country that means a great deal to me. Since my childhood, I have been connected to it through Al-Ma’arifa magazine. It was also the first Gulf country to introduce theater, and a nation of culture and enlightenment that I hold with special affection and a cherished place in my heart.”
Al-Adl revealed his readiness to meet the Kuwaiti audience on December 4 next year through the musical play “Umm Kulthum... Drowning in the Lady’s Voice,” which will be hosted at the National Theater within the Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center. The production offers an artistic experience that revisits the biography of the “Star of the East” and her exceptional musical legacy, featuring more than 65 artists and performers.
Al-Adl added, “It is a great honor and pleasure for me to be in Kuwait on December 4 next year to present the play at the Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Cultural Center. Umm Kulthum has visits, concerts, meetings, friendships, and loved ones in Kuwait. I am delighted and happy to meet the esteemed Kuwaiti people through this work, especially since the Kuwaiti audience was one of the reasons for the play’s success in Egypt. Many used to travel to Cairo on weekends to watch it.”
Regarding the nature of the performance, he clarified that Umm Kulthum was not merely an exceptional voice, but the memory of a nation and a story of an era whose details remain vivid in the consciousness of the Arab audience. He noted that the play brings the “Star of the East” back to the stage through an artistic journey that evokes the most significant milestones of her life, her most famous songs, and revives the atmosphere of the golden age of Arabic music.
He emphasized that the work does not present a conventional autobiography, but rather reveals unknown aspects and stories from Umm Kulthum’s life, including the love stories associated with her and her relationship with her songs. The production combines drama, music, singing, and spectacle in its theatrical treatment.
He continued, “When we speak of Umm Kulthum, we are also speaking of theater. Therefore, the theatrical form was the most suitable to embody her artistic and human legacy and present it to new generations in a different way.”
Al-Adl pointed out that the play offers a massive musical and spectacle experience based on diverse visual and artistic elements, including movement, costumes, and spectacular scenes. He expressed his ambition to deliver a show that rivals major global musical productions, including Broadway shows, in terms of execution quality and visual and musical richness.
