Ruth Leon Pocket Review – The Band’s Visit – Donmar Warehouse

If you want an unexpected, hopeful and tuneful evening in the theatre, head immediately for the Donmar Warehouse. If you can nab a ticket, that is, because word of The Band’s Visit has preceded its arrival in the West End. This smallscale smasher of a musical, by David Yazbek,   adapted from an Israeli movie, won ten Tony Awards, including Best Musical, following its Broadway opening. It deserved them.

We’re at a café in the middle of nowhere in Israel’s Negev desert, a town called Bet Hatikva. Nothing ever happens here, as Dina, the café’s owner, is quick to tell us. And then something does happen. An entire Egyptian police band, in immaculate powder blue uniforms, arrives at Dina’s café. They are under the impression that they are in Petah Tikva, where they have been booked to perform at a music festival. With the slight difference between Israeli and Arab accents, it’s an easy mistake to make. There will not be a bus to Petah Tikva until tomorrow and there is no hotel in Bet Hatikva so the band must stay the night. That’s the whole plot.

A brilliant merging of Arabic, klezmer and soft rock music, with clever lyrics for each character, forms an irresistible score. The musicians, and the actors playing musicians, each have a story. Lonely Dina (Miri Mesika, excellent)   finds common ground with Tewfik, the sad band leader (Alon Moni Aboutboul, also excellent). She sings her memories and her frustrations, while he finds solace in music. The cocky trumpeter with the worst-ever chat-up line, “You have beautiful eyes. Do you like Chet Baker?”, teaches a painfully shy local boy how to talk to a girl. The funniest moments come from the violinist and another local boy both waiting for a call on the only payphone. A crying baby is quieted with a clarinet solo. Strangers become friends. In just this one night the possibilities of simple human interactions become vast.

The performances from the mixed Israeli, British and Arab cast are splendid. To describe The Band’s Visit as charming is to undersell it. It is a joy.