CARACALLA’S SILK ROAD: CULTURAL JOURNEY
On 16/03/2017 it was a night filled with anticipation and expectation. In Lebanon you can only expect perfection when it comes to Caracalla, this brilliant mind of Abdel-Halim Caracalla and his magnificent crew and selection of cast and dancers brought to life a masterpiece proud to say made in Lebanon. What really struck me as brilliant and quite unique for a theatrical show was the extent of usage of cinematic imagery and quite effective and to the benefit of the show. The experience is as if you are watching a movie by Akira Kurosawa where dreams become reality. As for bad experiences at the location of the show ” Forum De Beirut” in Lebanon, there will always be issues like parking a couple of miles away or the really annoying seating, and some people can’t see the tall ones in front. Well, this might be true but when you experience the majesty of Caracalla you forget about such petty problems. In brief, I will provide my opinion on this epic theatrical story.
Caracalla as always superbly demonstrated why in my opinion are the best theatrical company when it comes to bringing to life a dream world filled with our history in an almost couple of hours that felt like passed without noticing and we just needed more. The show revolves around the young man from Baalbeck who’s trying to figure out the origin and the story behind the medallion around his neck and he meets up with Jupiter the Roman God which the historic city Baalbeck and the temple in it were built in the honour of the Roman God the premier God in Roman mythology. With the young man and the help of Jupiter, we as the audience go through flashbacks from times that have been. It all starts with a traditional Baalbeck wedding and then the story takes a turn when the groom volunteers with some companions to engulf in an adventure of trade & cultural journey. The companions pass through epic lands of India, China, The Mongol dessert, Persia, and Venice through these different yet connected locations we witness the brilliance of dance performances that were choreographed by Elissar Caracalla. The amazing voices, although were more as background, accompanied this epic tale of culture & trade exploration and elevated our hearing senses to a different and wonderful universe.
