The two-act Arabesque Musical organised by the Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) Social and Cultural Activities Directorate was held on October 30th 2018, Tuesday (19:30) at Rauf Raif Denktaş Culture and Congress Center. Many students and locals of Famagusta were among the audience of this musical written by İrfan Kangı and directed by Dost Elver. The musical portraying the middle of a ghetto in a time when people, instead of looking at their phones, talked face-to-face and poverty dominated most. In the Kumkum Neighbourhood, ‘the small people’ of the ghetto encounter the small stories of ‘bigger people’. Lives moulded by pain and suffering; and the hopeless struggle in pursuit of happiness are portrayed. The Arabesque Musical stands out as the story of a generation wasted away.
“Serves as a ‘Minute of Silence’”
The informative text about the musical included the following: “The episode that the visual arts department worked for two years with great diligence, Arabesque Musical, reminds us of who we really are and sheds light on a page of everyone’s past. The songs of the musical belong to important artists in our lives and the musical itself serves as a minute of silence in respect of these artists; such as Ahmet Kaya, İbrahim Tatlıses, Müslüm Gürses, Orhan Gencebay, Ferdi Tayfur, Sezen Aksu, Hakan Altun and many others who helped us grow up and shaped our emotions with their songs. The Arabesque Musical, presented by a cast of 17 after 4 months of rehearsing, portrays the shunned, alienated part of people which we can all relate to at some point. Furthermore, by portraying the arabesque concept that is hidden in the deepest parts of our being in a theatre hall with an audience and combined with modern dance, this musical brings in something completely new. The choreography of the play is done by Bahadır Efe and the music director is renowned musician Olcay Demirci. In short terms, prepare for a musical that will appeal to all our emotions, make us want to join in and sing and even remind us to be grateful for what we have; and that we can be happy simply because we can afford to dream. In the end, who said that we could find justice in a world where laughing and crying walk hand in hand?”
