Bucking a nine-year ban, Egyptian play El Nass elli fi Al Talet (The People on the Third Floor) opened on Wednesday at the National Theatre in Cairo, according to Al Ahram Weekly.
The play, written by Osama Anwar Okasha and directed by Mohamed Omar, was banned for nine years for its blunt political content.
It begins with the unexpected arrival of a police officer (Riyad El Kholi) at the wedding of the eldest son (Abdel-Aziz Makhyoun) of a middle class family. What begins as a routine inspection for 'security reasons' develops into a harrowing ordeal which, bringing skeletons out of closets, tears the family apart.
In spite of a tendency for melodramatic declamation and sentimental effusions, this play has a distinct 1960s flavor which gives it a strange nostalgic appeal and enough popular ingredients to ensure its continued success with the public, the weekly added.
The mother, Samiha Ayyoub, offers a charismatic presence at the head of the star-studded cast. Also starring are Rashwan Tawfiq and Farouk El Fishawi – Albawaba.com
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