"The Band's Visit," with music by David Yazbek and book by Itamar Moses, premiered on Broadway at the Ethel Barrymore Theatre Nov 9, 2017. SoundBeacon's Glenna Bowman saw this surprising and beautiful production on March 8, 2018.
In this story, eight Egyptian musicians who comprise the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrive by mistake in a small town in Israel's Negev Desert. Their booking is set for a different city, but with no transportation out of the town or any hotels to stay at, the band settles at a restaurant owned by Dina (Katrina Lenk), who offers them lodging. Overcoming ethnic barriers, the Egyptians find diversion and companionship with the Israelis through a pervading undercurrent of shared melancholy.
The show runs 1 hour and 30 minutes with no intermission, and is captivating from start to finish, unfolding with humor and authenticity.
David Cromer (Director), Itamar Moses (Book), Orin Wolf (Lead Producer)
On March 11th, Glenna and the other members of the Commercial Theater Institute (CTI) Three-Day Intensive heard from the creative team of "The Band's Visit," as they described the creative process that brought "The Band's Visit" from concept to its preview at the Atlantic Theater Company and onto Broadway. Lead Producer Orin Wolf, director David Cromer and bookwriter Itamar Moses offered insights into the team's 8-year journey. Afterward, Glenna chatted with Orin Wolf and David Cromer.