A new musical, Broken Wings, an autobiographical tale of tragic love based on Lebanese-born poet Kahlil Gibran’s 1912 masterpiece, is to get its West End premiere.
Written by West End star Nadim Naaman (The Phantom of the Opera) and Dana Al Fardan, one of The Middle East’s leading contemporary composers, Broken Wings, will premiere as a semi-staged production with 9-piece orchestra, at the Theatre Royal Haymarket from August 1 – 4.
New York City, 1923. An ageing Gibran narrates from his cold studio. Through poetry and music, he transports us back two decades and across continents, to turn-of-the-century Beirut. His 18-year-old self returns to The Middle East after five years living in America, to complete his education and discover more of his heritage.
He falls deeply in love with Selma Karamy, the daughter of family friend and hugely respected local businessman, Farris Karamy. However, Selma soon becomes betrothed to Mansour Bey Galib, nephew of the powerful Bishop Bulos Galib, who has his eye on the Karamy family fortune. Gibran and Selma fight to reconcile their love for one another, whilst navigating the rules, traditions and expectations that society lays on them.
Writer Kahlil Gibran, whose seminal work The Prophet was an interational best-seller, remains the third best-selling poet of all time, behind Shakespeare and Laozi. What inspired him to write? And what moved him to such profound philosophy in his later life? The events in Broken Wings highlight key social issues of the time – the fight for gender equality, the freedom to love who we love, tradition versus modernity, wealth versus happiness, immigration and the importance of ‘home’ – yet these themes are increasingly relevant today, over a century later.
Broken Wings is directed by Bronagh Lagan, with orchestrations by Joe Davison.
