Saudi Ambassador Hails 'Al Motafael' Play

Osama Nugali, Saudi Ambassador to Egypt and his family, attended play 'Al Motafael' (The Optimistic) staged on the Egyptian National Theater, at the invitation of the theater’s Director-General, Ahmed Shaker Abdel Latif.

He expressed his great admiration with theater and its historical structure.

https://youtu.be/FAuduaBUUB4

The Saudi Ambassador hailed the play and the outstanding performances of its cast and expressed his desire to invite them to hold the play in Saudi Arabia for the Saudi audience.

Moreover, Abdul Latif asked the official to come on the stage with his family and take memorial photos with the cast.

The play co-starring Sameh Hussein, Sahar el Sayegh, Samy Maghawry, Ashraf Abdel Ghafour, and a group of young actors from the National Theater Group.

It is adapted from Voltaire's novel “Candide”, and is edited and directed by Islam Imam.

[caption id="attachment_69542" align="alignnone" width="3264"] Saudi Ambassador and Artist Ahmed Shaker and Artist Nourhan[/caption]

“Candide” is a French satire first published in 1759 by French Enlightenment writer, Voltaire.

It revolves around young man, Candide, who is living a sheltered life in an Edenic paradise and being indoctrinated with Leibnizian optimism by his mentor, Professor Pangloss.

The work describes the abrupt cessation of this lifestyle, followed by Candide's slow and painful disillusionment as he witnesses and experiences great hardships in the world.

The writer concludes with Candide, if not rejecting Leibnizian optimism outright, advocating a deeply practical precept, "we must cultivate our garden", in lieu of the Leibnizian mantra of Pangloss, "all is for the best" in the "best of all possible worlds".

The play is Candide is characterized by its tone as well as by its erratic, fantastical, and fast-moving plot.

Candide, with its sharp wit and insightful portrayal of the human condition, the novel has since inspired many later authors and artists to mimic and adapt it.,

It is among the most frequently taught works of French literature. The British poet and literary critic Martin Seymour-Smith listed Candide as one of the 100 most influential books ever written.

Contributed by: Yara Sameh