Azazil On Stage

Azazil On Stage

Youssef Zeidan’s award-winning novel Azazil, has been adapted to stage amid breathtaking success

Written by Ahmed Kafafi

Photographs courtesy of the Melophrenia Theatrical Troupe

It seems the Egyptian public will ever remain spellbound by the award-winning novel Azazil authored by Alexandrian scholar Dr Youssef Ziedan. Less than three years after it carried off the best novel in the Arabic version of the Booker Prize, the author received some irresistible offers to turn the book into a cinematic blockbuster or a TV serial. However, no news was reported that any of these offers have even been considered. Contrary to all expectations, however, Azazil as a one-act play suddenly hits culture pages headlines and stages by a less known troupe amid a breathtaking success that continues to be hailed by the media as well as the cultural circles countrywide. So much that many are wondering if that success is owing to the novel’s popularity or the skill of ‘Melophrenia’, the Mansoura-based theatrical troupe that presented Azazil as part of the Afaq Masrahiya Festival ( Theatrical Horizons Festival ) on 18 Oct at the Balloon Theatre in Cairo after two performances that staged respectively in Mansoura and Sharqia.

Some stress it is the popularity of the novel coupled by the assiduity of the troupe that paved the way for such distinction. No wonder then that the novel, adapted to the stage and directed by Ahmad Sabry Ghobashy, has been awarded best performance, actor and makeup as well as second best stage direction at the Zagazig Theatrical Festival a few days before the work was promoted in Cairo. For Melophrenia that specializes in presenting world classics like Hugo’s ‘Les Miserables’ and Mahfouz’s Awlad Haretna ( Children of Our Alley) and Sophocles’ ‘Electra’, Azazil has stricken a chord with the team for combining a classic element with a hot contemporary issue, two aspects that have boosted its appeal to a wide range of young Egyptian theatre buffs . “Capitalizing on the fame of Ziedan’s work was worthwhile,” Ghobashy who also figured as Hiba, the main character, tells Community Times. He adds: “Also the feedback after the experimental performance at Zagazig was encouraging, but I have never expected it would attract such a big audience.” A big turnout has caused the troupe to present another performance half an hour after the end of the premier at Cairo that was also seen by many cultural and media figures.

Dr Youssef Zeidan didn’t show up at the premier in Cairo and was content to comment on the theatrical performance. On his Facebook account he writes that the adaptation is “the initiative of some inflamed youths and is not by any means a commercial show. I supported it in spite of some worthwhile offers to adapt it for TV and cinema, which I turned down due to the deplorable condition of Egyptian creativity…”But responding to a Community Times inquiry if that is bound to remain the case in the future, Ziedan responds: “I am not sure. This might change, all depending on how the art scene fares in the time to come. But I also thought the adaptation might divert the attention from Azazil as a book that’s mainly meant to be read. I would like people to read Azazil more than see it on the screen. ”

But in a work that’s meant to be read the adaption, according to Ghobashy, was a difficult task in a kind of narration that delves deep into human conscience, thought and sensitivities as well as critical issues like religious extremism, theological conflicts and the clash between soul and body. The award-winning novel is about the biography of Hiba, a Christian priest who leaves his hometown in Upper Egypt in search of theological learning in Alexandria. The story falls against the backdrop of the 5th century AD, a period in the history of Christianity marked by tension and unrest which resulted in various theological dichotomies about the nature of Christ. For Hiba who set sails for Alexandria, the emissary of all learning and art at the time, this is a journey of self-discovery propelled by some eye-opening events that make him examine the workings of mind, soul and body, especially as viewed by a hermit who is bound to be primarily devoted to the All-Soul.

In the process he succumbs to the temptations of Octavia, a pagan Alexandrian maid who dismisses him as soon as she knows he’s a priest. In Alexandria he witnesses the assassination of Alexandrian philosopher Hypatia at the hands of the Christian mobs. Philosophy was thought to contradict the Christian belief, but the gory scene has opened Hiba’s eyes to how violence could be used to enforce religion.

After such mind-altering events uncertainty takes the upper hand, especially when in Jerusalem he encounters priest Nastor who had then raised a big debate about the trinity. Nastor sends him to an abbey in Antaqia, Syria, where his soul is shaken after he falls deeply in love with Martha. From beginning to end when Hiba leaves the abbey for an unknown destination, his inner conflicts are revealed through a number of soliloquies with Azazil, seen by some as the devil and by others as his own conscience.

It is a complex story, but again, how could it be adapted to theatre? “This wasn’t easy when the text predominantly consists of inner thoughts and soliloquies,” explains Ghobashy. “I tried to focus on the drama, leaving out the theological debate and focusing on the misuse of power and the use of violence to spread religion,” he adds. “I also felt that the novel could be an alternative for the classics that most people dislike in our previous performances. In addition to its appeal as a book, Azazil also contains a powerful dramatic element that helped me turn it into an interesting play.”

And this was true to the real 80-minute show in which some 22 performers appeared to dilute the dry profoundness of Azazil with songs, dances and sometimes jokes which added entertainment to serious drama. The character of Azazil figured in a diabolical form that suggested devil more than conscience, but having become conscious of the Satan in Azazil, Ghobashy tried to balance it with three figures who talk to Hiba every time he goes to his recluse, suggesting those are the voices of his conscience. On the whole, the viewing is an enriching experience, but the fact remains that hadn’t the audience been familiar with the book, the drama would have sounded dry and less fathomable. But eventually it opens the door for using the local fictional works in theatre and cinema after a period marked by their total neglect on the part of filmmakers and stage directors. After Azazil’s success, the beginning could perhaps be launched in that direction by the small theatrical troupes. ( ENDS)