Sasson Gabay brings his portrayal of Egyptian police band leader Tewfiq from screen to stage, taking center stage in the Tony-winning musical The Band’s Visit beginning June 26.
The Israeli actor, who first played the role in the 2007 Israeli film that served as the basis for the show, succeeds Dariush Kashani. Tony Shalhoub, who won a Tony Award June 10 for his performance, took a hiatus from the musical in March to shoot the second season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel and returned for select performances in May.
The production marked Gabay's return to the role with the release of a new block of seats; tickets are now on sale through June 30, 2019.
Gabay recently received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the Israeli Film Festival; in addition to The Band’s Visit, he is perhaps most known for his work on screen in such films as Rambo III, Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem, and Delta Force One: The Lost Patrol.
The cast also includes Tony winners Katrina Lenk and Ari’el Stachel, George Abud, Etai Benson, John Cariani, Adam Kantor, Andrew Polk, Bill Army, Rachel Prather, Jonathan Raviv, Sharone Sayegh, Kristen Sieh, and Alok Tewari.
The musical, about the brief, unexpected crossing of paths between a stranded Egyptian police band and the inhabitants of a remote, Israeli desert village, opened at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre in November last year after an Off-Broadway world premiere at Atlantic Theater Company.
David Cromer directs the show, which features a score by David Yazbek and a book by Itamar Moses; all three won Tony Awards for their work on the musical.
