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Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith
By Yussef El Guindi
Directed by Stuart Carden
Produced by Silk Road Theatre Project
At The Chicago Temple
77 W. Washington
Chicago, IL
Call 312-236-6881, tickets $20 - $25
Thursdays at 7:30 PM
Fridays & Saturdays at 8 PM
Sundays at 3 PM
Running time: 2 hrs, 30 min with intermission
Through December 30, 2005
Ten Acrobats is a pleasant look at a Muslim-American family
The Silk Road Theatre Project is a ground breaking company featuring works of Arab-American and Muslim-American lives. These groups need representation. Egyptian born and British educated and American resident, Yussef El Guindi’s Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith puts an Egyptian-American family in a typical immigrant family drama we’ve seen many times with Irish, Greek, Italian and now Egyptian immigrants. What is new, I guess, is that these folks are Arabs and Muslims? I applaud the idea; it’s the predictable, cliché-ridden story that unfolds like an ABC TV after school special that I don’t like. The only thing unique is that the Fawzi family are Muslims.
Maybe El Guindi wanted to play it safe since most Americans have a negative impression of Arabs and the Muslim religion? I wish he had gone further to show the deep influence the Muslim religion has on family life. Here one son, Tawfig (Kareem Bandealy) announces that he will no longer be a practicing Muslim and the father, Kamal (Vincent P. Mahler) objects by quickly accepts his son’s atheism. My experience with strongly religious ethnic types would have the father disown that son just as Tevye did when his daughter married out of the faith in Fiddler On The Roof. This father is an enlightened liberal for a devout Muslim—not too unrealistic.
When the other son, Hamza, (Anil Hurkadli) gets arrested for having gay sex in the park, the father gets upset by soon calms down and accepts the son unconditionally. This plays like a Disney film. Not many old country Arabs would accept a son being gay as easily as this guy does. Also, when his daughter, Mona (Irit Levit) decides to say ‘no’ to an arranged marriage, this enlightened father offers his support. We should send this guy to arbitrate the Arab-Israel conflict. This family is so American, so enlightened that we don’t get any understanding of Arab-Muslim beliefs and traditions that these folks bring to America.
We do get a glimpse of Muslim culture when the daughter, Huwaida (Monica Lopez) who is torn about wearing the head scarf in the Muslim tradition. El Guindi has some excellent balance insights into that and the Muslim treatment of women. I wish there were more of these dilemmas dramatized so we can understand these beliefs.
The play is also short on details of the basic Muslim religious practices and their strong influence on the daily routine of family life. What is presented here is a 21st Century TV sitcom-like, play-it-safe piece whose only message seems to be that Arab-American Muslims are just like other Americans and share the same dreams and family problems like any other family. What we really need today is a glimpse into why many Muslim women cover themselves completely; why Muslims pray several times per day, etc. An understanding of the many types of Muslim religious sects would help dispel our generalized fear of Muslims as fanatics.
Hopefully Silk Road Theatre Project will offer such works in the future. Ten Acrobats in an Amazing Leap of Faith is authentic and believable and carries a worthy message as it humanizes Muslims. The show is nicely paced, well acted. Too bad it didn’t go further to allow us to gain useful insights into their culture.
Somewhat Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Chicago Stage Talk Radio Show
October 29, 2005
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