New musical BROKEN WINGS to be staged at the Charing Cross Theatre
by Best of Theatre Staff on Wednesday 13 October 2021, 10:56 am in Upcoming and New Shows
Aria Entertainment today announces they will stage a musical adaptation of Kahlil Gibran’s Broken Wings by Nadim Naaman and Dana Al Fardan. After multiple productions of the musical in concert form around the Middle East this will be the first full staging of the musical. The production, directed by Bronagh Lagan, opens at Charing Cross Theatre on 26 January, with previews from 21 January, and runs until 5 March 2022.
Nadim Naaman said today, “Nearly four years after our semi-staged concert debut, I am frankly ecstatic that Broken Wings is returning to London. This new Production will be the first time our musical is fully-staged. It feels particularly special to be bringing Gibran and a piece of Lebanon back to the London stage, following the many difficulties faced by the Lebanese people over the past few years. We are so grateful to Katy for her longstanding support and belief in Broken Wings, and we can’t wait to welcome audiences early next year.”
Katy Lipson, also commented, “As soon as I heard this beautiful and arresting score I became committed to bringing this story to the stage in London in a full production. I find it a unique musical set in the melting pot of the Middle East but with a familiar story of longing, loss and discovery with an incredible writing team. I hope audiences will enjoy the romance and beauty of the story and enjoy another powerful new musical which deserves to part of the cannon.”
New York City, 1923. Through exquisite poetry and enchanting music, an ageing Gibran narrates our tale, transporting us back two decades and across continents, to turn-of-the-century Beirut. Gibran meets Selma; their connection is instant and their love affair, fated. However, their journey to happiness is soon thrown off course, as the pair face obstacles that shake the delicate foundation of their partnership. Will their love win out or will their dream of a life together be torn apart?
Performed in-the-round, Broken Wings takes us on an unmissable musical voyage, exploring issues of gender equality, immigration, the freedom to love who we love, and what ‘home’ really means to us. Over a century later, and the themes and debates raised in Gibran’s story, remain increasingly relevant today.
Nadim Naaman is the book writer and co-composer. His credits include Rumi: The Musical - released by Broadway Records as a Concept Album. His credits as an actor include A Little Night Music (Holland Park Opera), The Phantom of the Opera (Her Majesty’s Theatre/Greek tour), By Jeeves (The Old Laundry), Sweeney Todd (Tooting Arts Club), One Man, Two Guvnors (Theatre Royal Haymarket), and The Sound of Music (London Palladium). As a soloist, he has performed concerts in venues including The Hong Kong Philharmonic, Birmingham Symphony, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, RTE Concert Orchestra Dublin, Liverpool Philharmonic, The John Wilson Orchestra, London Symphony and BBC Proms at The Royal Albert Hall. His 2016 studio album, Sides, topped the iTunes UK Vocal Chart, and is available on iTunes and Spotify. Naaman is also an associate at The Royal Academy of Music.
Dana Al Fardan is a Qatari composer, songwriter and symphonic artist. Her credits include Rumi: The Musical - released by Broadway Records as a Concept Album. She is the official composer of Qatar Airways and also Brand Ambassador of Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom she has recorded two albums: Layla and Sandstorm – the latter has been performed by The London Metropolitan Orchestra at Theatre Royal Haymarket in London.
Bronagh Lagan directs. Her theatre credits include Cruise (Duchess Theatre), Rags The Musical (Lyric Theatre/Park Theatre), Umm Kulthum (London Palladium), Putting It Together, Little Women (Hope Mill Theatre), A Winter’s Tale (Rose Theatre Kingston), Brexit the Musical (Edinburgh Festival Fringe), Promises, Promises (Southwark Playhouse), tick, tick... BOOM! (Park Theatre), As You Like It (Jackson’s Lane), The Adventures of Pinocchio (Ambassadors Theatre), The Rise and Fall of Little Voice (Chipping Norton Theatre), The Pajama Game, A Man of No Importance (Pleasance Theatre), Heart of Winter, The Stationmaster (Tristan Bates Theatre), James and The Giant Peach (UK/international tour), Portia Coughlan (The Old Red Lion), Girlfriends (Union Theatre), A Day in the Death of Joe Egg (Greenwich Theatre), The Mistress Cycle (Landor Theatre), Expectations (Arcola Theatre), Blood Wedding (Courtyard Theatre), Newsrevue (Canal Café Theatre), Henry VI Part 1 (Rose Theatre), Erris (Theatre503), Julius Caesar (The Scoop) and The Madness of Sweeney (Lyric Theatre, Belfast). Lagan is also part of the From Page To Stage Literary department for Aria Entertainment.