Synopsis
Such a Beautiful Voice is Sayeda's & Karima's City - Two One-act Plays
Yussef El Guindi from Salwa Bakr
Published by Dramatists Play Service
3 Male 3 Female
Here, Islam hangs in the very air you breathe; spirits, or Jinns, may lurk near; flattering dresses and lipstick are evidence of infidelity; and a woman singing can bring dishonor and ruin to herself and her family. Lyrical and delicate, and suffused with moments of haunting theatricality, this exploration of the oppression of the human spirit is a perfect jewel of the one-act art
(3M, 6W, doubling possible)
Karima's City - Karima's beloved city is changing around her
The seeds-and-nuts vendor, the fruit seller and the butcher who used to greet her each morning no longer do. Everywhere concrete monstrosities are rising, and the trees are vanishing
These changes are making Karima physically ill, and she can no longer keep silent. But whenever she speaks her mind, all manner of suffering befalls her
In a society that judges iconoclasts shameful, dangerous and a menace, it slowly becomes apparent that Karima's devastating fate has already been written
Touching on issues of enormous significance in the Islamic world, this finely wrought play bubbles with unexpected charm and humor as it leads to its inexorable conclusion
(6 to 7 actors can play the 25 roles)
"[El Guindi] brings a poetically charged voice to the struggle by Muslim women to sound their own voices in this impressive pair of one acts" ~ LA Times
"... the plays have a universal resonance, as though the women's battles with snotty co-workers, penny-pinching husbands and antidepressant medications were being waged in Cleveland" ~ LA Weekly