BROADWAY – The Band’s Visit
Official Blurb: Welcome to Nowhere… After a mix-up at the border, an Egyptian Police Band is sent to a remote village in the middle of the Israeli desert. With no bus until morning and no hotel in sight, these unlikely travelers are taken in by the locals. Under the spell of the desert sky, their lives become intertwined in the most unexpected ways. THE BAND’S VISIT celebrates the deeply human ways music, longing and laughter can connect us all.
My Take: It is an enchanting, melancholic and intimate musical. The issue lies in my expectations of it. Having heard so much buzz I was expecting to be blown away. It was good it just wasn’t transforming, and may I say a tad slow at parts? I think if I had gone in without reading anything my experience might have been better. There are phenomenal performances, especially Tony Shalhoub (who I loved in my new favorite obsession Marvelous Mrs maisel) as Tewfiq (even though it’s a bit weird that the main character in a musical doesn’t sing) and Katrina Lenk as Dina. Really its kind of in between a play and a musical. A play with many songs. The band itself is awesome, and I loved how they acted as a chorus throughout the show. The other great thing it has going is that it’s only 90 minutes without intermission – can all musicals be this efficient? Strong storytelling and concise at that. What I didn’t really enjoy was the music. It was good, it just wasn’t my favorite and nothing at all popped out (i didn’t remember anything of the music afterwards). It serves the story, it’s just not a soundtrack i would listen to in my house. In summary and enthralling play, but not what I was expecting.
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