‘Karim’ at Riverside provides cross-cultural insight
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Karim is a young Lebanese-Australian man growing up in rural New South Wales in isolation and with limited opportunities.
Karim (Youssef Sabet) and his best friend Beth (Alex Malone) spend their time watching the trains roll by, dreaming of ways to get out of the town, while another friend Joe searches the town for hidden treasures.
All of this changes for Karim when he discovers a traditional Middle Eastern musical instrument, the oud; it may just be his way out.
“The oud is the key to Karim’s escape to a new life,” Youssef Sabet, actor said.
As Karim, this is Sabet’s first professional role on stage in Australia, having studied and graduated in New York before returning for roles in independent theatre.
For writer James Elazzi (Lady Tabouli and Sons of Byblos) this is his first turn at co-directing alongside Shane Anthony.
“It’s with the National Theatre of Parramatta that I began my journey as a playwright and I cannot wait to share Karim with audiences,” James Elazzi, playwright said.
Elazzi works mainly in the cross-cultural intersection of Lebanese and Australian life and has been short-listed for the 2023 Nick Enright Playwriting Award and the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards and has a long relationship with the Riverside Theatre.
“National Theatre of Parramatta supports and tours new writing, connects artists and are unrelenting in their quest to stage untold stories,” Elazzi said.
“His writing is beautifully poetic”
Sabet said of Elazzi’s writing: “His writing is beautifully poetic and he has a really good understanding of how humans are, how we think and what we feel.
“The more you dissect his writing, you realise how compact he makes these characters.
“There is a lot of subtext that on first read you maybe don’t see, but I think that is what makes his writing worthwhile.”
Like Elazzi, Sabet applauds the Riverside: “They have such diversity in everything they do.”
Karim also features actors Jane Phegan, Andrew Cutcliffe and George Kanaan, and promises to be a challenging work with touches of Elazzi’s trademark humour that will delight audiences from 25th July.
A Q&A with Walkley winning journalist Patrick Abboud and James Elazzi will be held post-show on Thursday 1st August.
In Australia the oud is best known as the instrument made famous by virtuoso musician Joseph Tawadros, but it is also a popular feature in traditional Lebanese and Greek bands, particularly for weddings.
Karim, 25 July-3 August
Lennox Theatre, Riverside Theatres, Parramatta
https://riversideparramatta.com.au/whats-on/KARIM/
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