Majida El Roumi Opens “Al-Janoubi” Nights... After a 5-Year Absence
The southern stage at the Jerash International Festival of Culture and Arts marked a distinctive artistic launch for its 40th edition, following the opening of its first evening by Lebanese singer Majida Al-Roumi. Her musical concert returned her to the festival audience after a five-year absence. The following night, the Lebanese troupe Karakla continued its presence with its spectacular performance “One Thousand and One Nights,” in two evenings that carried different atmospheres, balancing the warmth of the voice with the magic of visuals.
From the moment she stepped onto the southern stage, the depth of longing between Majida Al-Roumi and the Jerash audience was evident, as crowds gathered to welcome her on a long-awaited night.
The “Guitar of the East” opened the concert with words filled with love for Jordan and the Arab world, affirming that “Lebanon is a crown on her head, and Jordan is a prayer in her heart,” before promising the audience an evening united by music and song.
Over the course of about an hour and a half, Al-Roumi performed a selection of her most prominent works. She opened with the song “Mili Ya Halwa wa Mili,” then moved through “Am Yis’alooni Alayk Al-Nas,” “Ismi’ Qalbi,” “Aynayk Layal Sumayya,” “La Tas’al,” “Bila Walaa Ay Kalam,” “Uhibbak Jiddan,” “Ana Kull Ma Aqul Al-Tawba,” “Kan Sadeeqi,” “Qul Ya Qalbi,” “‘Ala Qalbi Malak,” and “Kalimat,” alongside the Jordanian folk song “Ya Shawqi Ana Wa Ya Yak,” which the audience enthusiastically sang along to and applauded.
Al-Roumi was accompanied by a musical band led by Maestro Lebanon Baalbaki, who directed the musicians in delivering musical arrangements that preserved the spirit of the songs and highlighted their beauty. The evening concluded with the song “Ma Hada Bi’bi Matarak Bi Qalbi,” amid a long ovation from the audience celebrating her return to the southern stage.
On the second night of the festival, the stage’s appearance changed with the return of the Lebanese troupe Karakla to Jerash after an absence. They presented their famous show “One Thousand and One Nights,” inspired by the tales of Scheherazade, in a spectacular production that combined theatrical dance, music, costumes, and visual effects.
The troupe transported the southern stage audience into a world of imagination through spectacular tableaux characterized by precision in performance and harmonious theatrical movement. Luxurious costumes, sets, and lighting added an aesthetic dimension to scenes that shifted between atmospheres of love, fear, hope, and triumph, offering a visual treatment that re-presented the famous Arab tale with a contemporary spirit.
The performance relied not only on movement, but music and visual elements formed an essential part of building the theatrical mood, alongside the expressive performance of the dancers who conveyed the story’s details to the audience. The show received significant interaction, with applause continuing throughout its various segments.
At the conclusion of the performance, the southern stage audience warmly applauded the members of Karakla, appreciating the spectacular tableaux that brought the details of “One Thousand and One Nights” to the stage, in an evening that combined visual beauty with the spirit of theater.
