Egyptian stars heading for Saudi Arabia in latest entertainment boost

General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Al-Sheikh. (Supplied)

• The highlights include six performances across the Kingdom of Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” starring Yehia Al-Fakharani and Farouk Al-Fishawi, as part of a theater deal with Cairo 21

JEDDAH: In a further boost to the entertainment sector in the Kingdom, a wide range of Egyptian productions, stars and events are coming to Saudi Arabia, including plays, concerts and film screenings.
General Entertainment Authority Chairman Turki Al-Sheikh signed a number of memorandums of understanding with producers and promoters during a visit to Cairo on Friday. It comes just days after the announcement of similar agreements signed during a visit to London this week.
The highlights include six performances across the Kingdom of Shakespeare’s “King Lear,” starring Yehia Al-Fakharani and Farouk Al-Fishawi, as part of a theater deal with Cairo 21.
Al-Adl Group will present six family-friendly plays featuring the actress Sherihan, who recently came out of retirement and is returning to the stage after an absence of 25 years. They will be staged during the Riyadh Festival in October and November this year, and in Jeddah in June and July 2020.
Comedy actor Mohamed Henedi will appear in six performances of the play “3 days on the Coast,” beginning in March. Actor and comedian Ashraf Abdul Baqi’s Work Shop production company will stage a number of Egyptian plays, including four performances of “Crime in Maadi,” directed by Baqi. Actor Mohammed Saad, star of the 2002 hit comedy “El-Limby,” will also take to the stage in the Kingdom.
Producer and director Rami Emam, of True Motion Media Production, signed a deal for an appearance by his father, veteran actor Adel Emam, as a guest of honor at a special event produced by the company. The United Group Company will organize screenings of a number of films, featuring appearances by some of the stars, and stage outdoor concerts. The Sabah Group will produce a number of movies that will features Egyptian, Arab and Saudi actors and premiere in the Kingdom.
Playwrights Amir Taima and Ayman Bahgat Qamar will write new stage plays to help to revive Saudi Arabia’s theatrical heritage.
Fans of Egyptian music can look forward to performances by Hani Shaker, Amr Diab and Mohammad Hamaki. In addition, there will be stage shows featuring the music of Egyptian legends Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab and Abdel Halim Hafez. Other musical stars who will perform include Walid Mansour, Hakim Abdulsamad, Oka Wa Ortega, Hamada Helal, Ahmed Sheba, Ahmed Adaweyah, Saad El-Sogyahar, Moustafa Hagag, Mahmoud El-Leithy, Amr Diab and Abdel Basset Hamouda.