Al Sultan Yalhoo, Play Depicts Authority’s Corruption

Published March 9th, 2002 - 03:00 GMT

The play al Sultan Yalhoo (Sultan is Playing) is currently being staged at Cairo National Theater. The play is scripted by Mahfouz Abdel Rahman who reveals the various types of the authorities’ corruption, according to the daily al Ahram.

The play starts with the Sultan who ostensibly disguises himself to see the conditions in which his people live but in fact he does so out of his admiration with the bar attendant whom he goes to see along his sincere minister.

The biggest enemy of the Sultan, Bishr al Rae’i, also goes to the bar and publicly criticizes the Sultan for his corruption.

The police move to the bar, as they know that the Sultan’s enemy is a permanent customer there. Surprisingly, they arrest the Sultan thinking that he is the enemy and the matter becomes more complicated when the Sultana comes and denies that the arrested person is her husband. The conspiracy against the Sultan reaches its climax when the sincere Minster changes his loyalty in order to save himself from death.

The Sultan finds himself in the same boat with his enemy Bishr al Rae’i who admits to the police that he is the wanted person. The play is directed by Amr Dowwarah and costarring Ahmed Rateb (Sultan), Sami Maghawri (Minister), Samirah Abdel Aziz (Sultana), Zein Nassar (Bishr al Rae'i), Khalil Murci (Police Commander), Yousef Ragaei (Bar Owner) and Entisar (bar attendant)—Albawaba.com