Back in July, before Atlantic Theater Company’s new musical The Band’s Visit had opened to unanimous rave reviews and speculation that it may make the jump to Broadway, Playbill joined the show’s composer and lyricist, David Yazbek, for a sneak preview at Feinstein’s/54 Below.
Watch Yazbek perform “Omar Sharif” from The Band’s Visit below. The song, which pays tribute to iconic Egyptian artists Sharif and Umm Kulthum, is performed by Katrina Lenk in the world-premiere staging. Lenk has received critical acclaim for her performance as Dina.
The new Off-Broadway musical, which features a book by Itamar Moses and direction by David Cromer, officially opened December 8. The production sold out the remainder of its run shortly after and promptly announced a second extension. It will conclude its premiere January 8, 2017, and though no official announcement has been made, there has been a rumor of a transfer to Broadway in the fall. A cast album has not yet been announced.
READ MORE: WILL THE BAND’S VISIT TRANSFER TO BROADWAY?
The Band’s Visit is based on the award-winning film of the same name and features a cast that includes
Something Rotten!'s John Cariani, Lenk (
Once), and
Monk star Tony Shalhoub. Based on Eran Kolirin’s screenplay, the story follows the unlikely meeting of an Egyptian police band and a group of locals in a small Israeli town. The show began performances November 11 with choreography by Patrick McCollum and movement by Lee Sher.
The cast also includes George Abud, Bill Army, Erik Liberman, Andrew Polk, Rachel Prather, Jonathan Raviv, Sharone Sayegh, Kristen Sieh, Ari’el Stachel, Daniel David Stewart, and Alok Tewari.
The new musical follows the story of an Egyptian police band that arrives in Israel to play a concert. When a mix-up at the border leaves them stranded with no bus or hotel in sight, these unlikely travelers must seek the help of the locals. “Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways,“ state Atlantic Theater production notes.
Scroll through photos of the show below:
For more information and to purchase tickets visit Atlantictheater.org.
