Picture a man in candoura and an old European army-jacket, complete with white wig and headdress. He is pacing back and forth anxiously as he addresses another gentleman, dressed just as oddly as himself. The first man is Captain Absolute, and here is roughly how the exchange unfolds:
Captain Absolute: Sir Luscious begged leave to have the pleasure of cutting my throat.
Bordel: Yalla, be serious!
Captain Absolute: ’Tis fact! Sir Luscious has obliged me to meet him this evening at six o’clock, in Al Yaha, for some insult which I’m sure I never intended. You must come with me!
Bordel: La’a, sir, there must be some mistake. Sir Luscious will try to explain himself. I dare say a mushkila that can be cleared up.
At this point you’d be forgiven for feeling confused on many levels and wondering what the deuce is going on. We’ll tell you. The above-featured segment of utter genius is the brainchild of director Maggie Hannan, and her assistant director, Faisal Al Zaabi, of Resuscitation Theatre. And we sat in on rehearsals for their up and coming adaptation of Richard Brinsley Sheridan’s The Rivals.
Let’s face it, teen flick or not, we all love it when a classic play is adapted to a modern setting. Partly because the classics are packed with all the elements that guarantee a crowd pleaser, and partly because despite how much the world has changed since the age of men in tights, or how cultures differ, the fundamentals are eternal and it’s a joy to see them translated from one age or culture to another. Take the Restoration period, for example. A time when the English stage was populated by snuff sniffing fops, roguish rakes and boastful soldiers. True to the vogue of the age, The Rivals is what they call a ‘comedy of manners’ – a genre that satirises the manners and affectations of a particular social class.
‘Why I chose it is because, for me, the plays of that period are very relevant to Eastern cultures,’ said Maggie when we asked her why she decided to adapt a comedy that was written in 1700s England.
‘Because they were all based on scheming aunts trying to get the best matches for their daughters, and the daughters trying to marry for love. And then the help get involved and pass notes back and forth between the lovers.’
If you’re unfamiliar with the play, The Rivals has just such a premise, with delicious complications along the way. The main character, Captain Absolute (performed by Assyl Yacine), is a captain in the army from a wealthy family. But he likes this girl, Lydia Languish (Sara Al Nuaimi), and so he pretends to be poor. Meanwhile, what he doesn’t realise is that his father has actually arranged a match for him with the very same Lydia. ‘So he becomes his own rival,’ explains Maggie. ‘Because he knows that if he tells her the truth he’ll lose her.’ Naturally, there’s a lot of misunderstanding and it all winds up in a big duel at the very end.
Set in Al Ain, the adaptation has many mentions of Fujairah and Dubai, and there’s a lot of local references and Arabic thrown in. Similarly, costumes are a mix of Emirati and Restoration, with abaya-cum-dresses that flare into big full Restoration skirts, jackets over candouras and wigs topped with local head-gear.
The scripting was done by Maggie and Faisal. He is an Emirati Media student and budding director who has been working with Maggie for a year now, after trying his hand at acting in her last play.
‘I went through it first,’ said Maggie. ‘Got rid of a whole mess of characters and cut it down to about an hour and 25 minutes worth. And then Faisal and I went through it for a couple of days, putting in all the Arabic and simplifying the language that he thought would be difficult for people to understand – because the English used at that period of time is difficult English.’
The creative dynamics between the two are an unexpected joy to behold. Hailing from New York, Maggie is a child of show business, who’s had a professional career in dancing, done Broadway, produced cabaret, and founded Resuscitation Theatre in London, which she eventually brought to the UAE with her.
Resuscitation Theatre may be a small community drama group that meets in a small studio tucked away in the backstreets of Muroor, but they’re a spirited and passionate bunch that are as professional as they come. Rehearsing since mid-January, the multicultural cast (in true UAE style, they’ve got nine nationalities in total) clicks with contagious chemistry, and this adaptation promises to be one of Abu Dhabi Festival’s highlights.
The show is free but you must book in advance by emailing community@admaf.org. Resuscitation Theatre will be performing The Rivals from March 28-30, from 8-10pm at Sahil Al Maydan, Corniche Abu Dhabi (02 651 0300).
