Doha Cultural Festival was opened with the national operetta Qatar al Majd which depicts through drama, singing and show glimpses of life in Qatar including history, heritage, customs and traditions. This is in addition to the struggle of the Qatari people in the past during the time of fishing, shepherding, diving and sea pearl trading until the development phase which followed the discovery of oil.
The operetta is about the hero Sindbad (Saudi singer Mohammed Abdo) and his wife Merriam (Kuwaiti singer Nawal). It is characterized by combining the operetta elements in a drama that includes visual enjoyment, motion and simplicity, according to the daily al Hayat.
The screenwriter Ahmed al Dosari scripted the operetta in classical Arabic depending on the poem measures which were used in the desert and sea singing in Qatar. The music composer Mohammed al Marzouki used his experience for the first time in tuning poem verses in classical Arabic.
The operetta show was designed by Hasan Khalil who specializes in the show theater arts and who has accomplished so far 19 artworks of this type. He considers this operetta as the vastest and richest in view of the presence of 60 performers on one hand and the compliance of the singing and drama dialogues with the required conditions on the other hand.
The operetta director Saad Bou Rashid put his experience which he acquired in his theatrical studies in the US in the operetta by dealing with more than 100 children to make his idea reach the small actors (from 6-12) who on their part contributed to the success of the operetta. This has been achieved through singing, folk and interpretive dancing designed by the Karen Shonbar from Germany -- Albawaba.com
