June 9-12 at 7:30pm, BAM presents a remake of RIchard III by Sulayman Al-Bassam at the Harvey Theater. as part of the Muslim Voices Arts and Ideas Festival. Here's the blurb:
In an oil-rich kingdom, a dictator's bloody rise to power becomes an allegory of our own times in Richard III: An Arab Tragedy,
Kuwaiti director Sulayman Al-Bassam's groundbreaking remake of
Shakespeare's Machiavellian masterpiece. Grainy TV confessions,
sophisticated propaganda, and a wealth of Arab music and ritual lend
themes of leadership, religion, and foreign intervention an uncanny
relevance, turning this classic play into a cautionary contemporary
tale.
Kuwaiti director Sulayman Al-Bassam's groundbreaking remake of
Shakespeare's Machiavellian masterpiece. Grainy TV confessions,
sophisticated propaganda, and a wealth of Arab music and ritual lend
themes of leadership, religion, and foreign intervention an uncanny
relevance, turning this classic play into a cautionary contemporary
tale.
This work was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company as part of the Complete Works Festival.