”The Band’s Visit” first listen: Miri Mesika performs “Omar Sharif”
Telling the story of a band of Egyptian musicians who travel to a small town in the middle of the Negev Desert in Israel instead of an intended bustling city following a miscommunication, the Grammy and ten-time Tony-winning musical features a score by David Yazbek and book by Itamar Moses, based on the screenplay by Eran Kolirin.
The following music video was recorded at The Umbrella Rooms and features video and sound by Ben Robbins and editing by Nathan Amzi.
Meskia plays Dina in the Donmar Warehouse production alongside award-winning film, TV and stage actor Alon Moni Aboutboul (as Tewfiq). They are joined by the company and onstage band of Sharif Afifi, Jason Alder, Marc Antolin, Harel Glazer, Levi Goldmeier, Ido Gonen, Michal Horowicz, Emma Kingston, Shira Kravitz, Nitai Levi, Yali Topol Margalith, Ashley Margolis, Carlos Mendoza de Hevia, Peter Polycarpou, Ant Romero, Idlir Shyti, Maya Kristal Tenenbaum, Sargon Yelda and Baha Yetkin.
Under the direction of Michael Longhurst, the production’s creative team includes musical supervisor Nigel Lilley, designer Soutra Gilmour, lighting designer Anna Watson, sound designer Paul Groothuis, choreographer, movement director and intimacy director Yarit Dor, casting director Anna Cooper, musical director Tarek Merchant, associate director Orr Benezra-Segal, assistant musical director Natalie Pound, resident assistant director Dadiow Lin, cultural consultant Dr Lina Khatib, Arabic music consultant Attab Haddad and dialect coach Caitlin Stegemoller.
The Band’s Visit officially opens on 6 October at the Donmar, following previews from 26 September, and runs until 3 December.
