Could the Tony Award-winning musical ‘The Band’s Visit’ be a model for coexistence?

(Janet Dacal (Dina) and Sasson Gabay (Tawfiq) in “The Band’s Visit” North American tour. Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade.)

In the 15 minutes before the curtain rises for the American touring production of “The Band’s Visit” at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, a female voice announces over the Tannoy system, “Please turn off your cellphones.” What makes the announcement unique is that the statement in English is then repeated in Hebrew and Arabic.

It’s just one of the many firsts that this intimate musical — adapted from the 2007 film of the same name and which won 10 Tony Awards in 2018 —  offers audiences. The simple story of a  visiting Egyptian police band that gets lost in a small Israeli desert town breaks open the hearts, minds and souls of its characters, and aims to do the same with its audience. This tight-knit ensemble piece that includes live onstage instrumental playing by a phenomenal band of musicians, is ultimately about the power of human connection. 

At a press conference with several cast members after the opening night performance, Joe Joseph, who plays band member Haled, said the show is told in four languages — English, Hebrew, Arabic and music. “In  this show, music is what allows them to cut through the language [barriers],” he said.

Joseph added that with the unique Middle Eastern instruments, from the oud to the dumbek, you can tell from  the very first overture “you’re about to experience something new and different … something that really makes you lean in to those first chords and see the incredible band playing in front of you. It’s a special, collective experience.”

Renowned Israeli actor Sasson Gabay plays the band’s leader, Tawfiq, a role he created in the 2007 film. He then took over the role from Tony Shalhoub on Broadway. “This is obviously not your typical Broadway [musical],” Gabay said. “We don’t start with a lot of music and dance, but there is lots of music and humor and humanity.”

The humanity of the cross-cultural encounters between the Egyptians and Israelis is allowed to flourish thanks to a simple gesture by café owner Dina in the fictional town of Bet Hatikvah. The band is supposed to travel to Petach Tikvah (a real place in Israel), but thanks to pronunciation problems, becomes waylaid. (Not explained in the production but notable to Hebrew speakers is that Bet Hatkivah means “house of hope” and Petach Tikvah “opening of hope” — surely intentional on the part of its Israeli creator Itamar Marcus). 

“One of the strongest points of this show is that I believe it’s the first time on Broadway we’ve seen a musical with Arab music, Arab language, Israeli language (Hebrew) and Israelis. And you see the curiosity and the enthusiasm of the audience to experience cultures they don’t know about.” — Sasson Gabay

When Dina makes the decision to rope in the world-weary townsfolk to take in the band members for the night, everyone begins to open up and see the possibility of change. Janet Dacal, who plays Dina said, “I feel like Dina has been yearning to feel alive for some time, and when this unexpected, beautiful encounter happens, there’s a small tilt in that direction where she comes to life.”

L.A. Jewish native Coby Getzug, who plays Papi, said, “I think there’s something really beautiful about being given the choice to connect and choosing to connect, even though it might be easier to retreat back into your camp. There’s something really special about people … willing to lean in and listen to each other and work to connect across language barriers [and] cultural barriers.”

The company of The Band s Visit North American Tour. Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade. (1613)

There is no direct reference to any conflict between the Arabs and Jews in the show, but as Dacal noted, “One of the wonderful things that our director (David Cromer) pointed out, is when you come up against a stranger who is having a challenge or a difficulty, our human instinct is to step in and help. That’s what Dina does. She doesn’t see that they’re from Egypt; that there may be some conflict. She sees this is a group of people who are having a challenging time and she can offer some help.”

Added Joseph, “When you’re dealing with a show that has these people who come from areas that are typically defined in the international community [as being in] conflict, it’s easy for us to engage with the idea that these places, these people’s lives, are a constant fight for survival, but in the end, there’s a day-to-day life people have.”

Joe Joseph, Sasson Gabay, Janet Dacal. Photo by Evan Zimmerman, MurphyMade

So although the stories and vignettes of everyday life play out onstage, the larger picture of dealing with conflict and people from different cultures and faiths hovers unspoken in the background. Yet this cast finds it easy to embrace all these layers of nuance. Gabay is an Israeli playing an Egyptian (and speaking fluent Arabic in the show); Dacal is a Latina whose parents left Cuba and came to Los Angeles seeking political asylum; Joseph’s grandfather hails from Lebanon; and Getzug’s grandmother was born in Israel and came to the United States as a teenager. (Read our one-on-one interview with Getzug here). 

“One of the strongest points of this show is that I believe it’s the first time on Broadway we’ve seen a musical with Arab music, Arab language, Israeli language (Hebrew) and Israelis,” Gabay said. “And you see the curiosity and the enthusiasm of the audience to experience cultures they don’t know about and [that] some have never heard of. And I think this is one of the best things that I’m proud of  in this show.”

Joseph concurred, stating, “Knowing all the political situation that has been in existence for so long [in the Middle East], it’s the fact that we can portray a world where it doesn’t matter where you come from; those differences are set aside because we are all human beings.”

Watching “The Band’s Visit,” it’s hard to not be swept up by the extraordinary pull of the music and the depth and breadth of these skilled musicians, who improvise at every performance. Couple that with watching the characters bond over a million little things — from a crying baby to a shared meal, to how to ask out a girl — these small vignettes paint a tapestry of human encounters that clear out the cobwebs in a tired, dusty town and cover everyone in a warm blanket of hope as deep as the nighttime desert sky.

“The Band’s Visit” runs through Dec. 19 at The Dolby Theatre in Hollywood and will run at the Segerstrom Center for the Arts in Costa Mesa from March 23–April 2, 2022.

For Dolby Theatre tickets and times visit Broadway in Hollywood or Ticketmaster or call 1-800-982-2787.