We Live in Cairo at New York Theater Workshop has ambitions beyond escapism and succeeds. Set during the volatile period in Egypt between 2010 and 2014, Cairo focuses on six young activists revolting against Hosni Mubarak’s autocratic government and the extremist regime of Mohammed Morsi which followed. The book and score by The Lazours (brothers Daniel and Patrick Lazour) combine Egyptian-influenced music with the complexity of political idealism clashing with harsh reality.
Amir (Ali Louis Bourzgul), a street musician and Coptic Christian is in love with Muslim Layla (Nadina Hassan), a photographer who gradually backs the revolution. Amir’s brother Hany (Michael Khalid Karadsheh) plans to move to the US to study law and escape his country’s chaos. Fadwa (Rotana Tarabzouni) has risked her freedom for the cause and fervently rejects any compromise. The closeted gay Karim (John El-Jor), a spray-paint artist, is drawn to the repressed Hassan (Drew Elhamalawy), despite the latter's affiliation with the Sunni Islamist Muslim Brotherhood. The group’s interpersonal relations parallel Egypt's volatile political machinations.
The first act is intense and tight with director Taibi Magar skillfully building the action up to the overthrow of Mubarak. The second act tends to drag a bit with each of the characters’ fates getting drawn out. Despite this flaw, Cairo is a vital, passionate musical with a captivating young cast, demonstrating the form can tackle difficult, relevant issues.
