In Arabia We'd All Be Kings
In Arabia We'd All Be Kings | |
---|---|
Written by | Stephen Adly Guirgis |
Characters | Holy Roller Lenny Greer Mrs. Reyes Demaris Steven Schub Daisy Charlie Skank Chickie Sammy Jake |
Place premiered | Center Stage, New York, 1999 |
Original language | English |
Setting | New York City |
In Arabia We'd All Be Kings is a dramatic play set in New York City, written by Stephen Adly Guirgis.[1] It chronicles the demise of a group of individuals living in New York's Hell's Kitchen around the time before Rudy Giuliani's efforts to clean up the city. Out of work and strapped for money, the lives of these individuals revolve around a local bar and their misguided hopes and dreams. The play deals primarily with issues of commercialism, hope, and friendship.
Plot
Lenny is a recently released ex-
Characters
Chickie and Skank, a pair of crackheads. Charlie, a mentally disabled barman, sees himself as a Jedi fighter from Star Wars. And Demaris, a 17-year-old apprentice hooker, craves security for herself and her baby. Lenny, a hoodlum, goes for an unlikely job interview as an on-site field marketeer which actually involves handing out flyers. Skank is obliged to supply sexual favors to feed his own desolate habit.
- Holy Roller
- Lenny
- Greer
- Mrs. Reyes
- Demaris
- Daisy
- Charlie
- Skank
- Chickie
- Sammy
- Jake
Productions
Off-Off-Broadway, 1999
The play premiered
Directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman, the cast featured Russell G. Jones as Greer, Trevor Long as Skank, David Zayas as Lenny, Liza Zayas as Daisy, Ana Ortiz as Demaris, Tiprin Mandalay as Chicky, Sal Inzerillo as Charlie, Richard Petrocelli as Jake, Mark Hammer as Sammy, and Begonya Plaza as Mrs. Reyes.[3][1] As The New York Times described it, "Zoot-suited craps players have been replaced by junkies in dirty T-shirts who will do anything for drug money, and the Salvation Army evangelists are now religious nuts who carve up the prostitutes rather than preach to them."[3]
London, 2003
The play was performed at the Hampstead Theatre in London from 24 April to 17 May 2003. Directed by Robert Delamere, the cast featured Danny Cerqueira, Tom Hardy (Skank), Ashley Davies, Sam Douglas, Evelyn Duah, David Hinton, Gerry Lepkowski (Charlie), Colin McFarlane, Celia Meiras, Garfield Morgan, Deborah Weston, and Benedict Wong.[4] Hardy received the Evening Standard Theatre Award for Outstanding Newcomer.[5]
In its review, the
California, 2007
Presented at the Elephant Theatre Company in Hollywood, California from January 26, 2007 - April 21, 2007. Directed by Founding Artistic Director, David Fofi, featuring Jade Dornfeld, Carolina Espiro, Dan Gilvary, Torrance Jordan, Patricia Rae, Charlie Romanelli, George Russo, Steven Schub, Bernadette Speakes, Tim Starks, Kenny Suarez, and Jason Warren.[7] The production garnered 4 LA Drama Critic's Circle Awards: Production, Writing, Scenic Design and Lighting Design.[8]
Julio Martinez of Variety said the play "takes a jaundiced look at Mayor Rudy Giuliani's 1990s New York City beautification project and its effect on a group of Hell's Kitchen locals. Helmer David Fofi advances Guirgis' agenda thanks to a perfectly cast 12-member ensemble embodying the woebegone urbanites whose shaky sense of stability has been totally disrupted."[9] Calling David Fofi "one of L.A.'s best directors", Charlotte Stoudt of the Los Angeles Times said he "keeps his exceptional cast grounded in each moment; their comedy and heartbreak feels equally earned, and the artistic discipline on view here finds strong chemistry with the play's outsized rhythms...Arabia carries an undeniably cumulative power."[10]
Les Spindle of Backstage West found the production "magnificently acted and impeccably mounted", and that "raucous hilarity segues to heartbreak and fear in a heartbeat", and praised its "seamless ensemble."
Cleveland, 2012
It was produced at Cleveland Play House in Cleveland, Ohio, from February 1–11, 2012, by the Graduate Ensemble of 2014.[11][12]
Dublin, 2015
The play was produced at the Players Theatre in Dublin in 2015. The production was directed by Liam Hallahan.[13]
References
- ^ a b c "Listing" labtheater.org, accessed April 23, 2015
- ^ "Philip Seymour Hoffman to Stay in OB Arabia Until July 23" playbill.com, July 13, 1999
- ^ a b Hampton, Wilborn (July 21, 1999). "THEATER REVIEW; A Lot of Degradation and a Little Bit of Humor". New York Times. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ Billington, Michael (28 April 2003). "Guardian :: In Arabia, We'd All Be Kings". Guardian. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ "Evening Standard Theatre Award, 2003" westendtheatre.com, accessed April 23, 2015
- ^ Variety
- ^ a b c "Compilation of Reviews" plays411.net, accessed April 23, 2015
- ^ Jones, Kenneth. "L.A. Drama Critics Embrace 13, Stephen Adly Guirgis and Zanna, Don't! in Annual Awards" playbill.com, March 18, 2008
- ^ Martinez, Julio. "Review" Variety, March 19, 2007
- ^ Stoudt, Charlotte. "Theatre review. No way to treat a king" LA Times, February 2, 2007
- ^ "PlayhouseSquare :: In Arabia We'd All Be Kings". PlayhouseSquare. February 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ "CWRU/CPH MFA/In Arabia We'd All Be Kings". Cleveland Playhouse. Archived from the original on May 31, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
- ^ Workhorse, No More (2015-07-02). "In Arabia We'd All Be Kings – Players' Theatre – Review". No More Workhorse. Retrieved 2019-12-31.
External links
- "LAByrinth Theater Company and the Public Theater present the World Premiere of a New Play By Stephen Adly Guirgis, The Little Flower of East Orange" (Press release). O&M Company. February 8, 2008. Archived from the original on October 17, 2008. Includes background on the playwright.