I like theater. I love watching a good play. If I could afford to, I’d watch more Broadway shows when I’m in New York. Luckily though, theater options in Beirut aren’t that expensive and they’re a lot more accessible in terms of cultural and societal connections to our daily lives.
I watched PSY CARLOS’ TRIP last week, and it was a blast. To be honest though, I was mainly excited to see Tino Karam in action for more than the iconic 30-second ads he succeeded in cementing in Lebanese pop culture and dialect. Don’t tell me you haven’t used “3adee, mashewe” a couple of times in the past few months…
But, I was extremely pleased with the rest of the cast, Marcel, Lara and Kim.
I loved seeing Lara Rain on stage. If you’ve seen Ghadi the movie, she was the mother of Ghadi. A soft-spoken, gentle character which doesn’t say much but probably invoked the most emotion during my absolute favorite Lebanese movie in recent years. So, it was a breath of fresh air to see Lara on stage, playing the much livelier and dynamic Madame Carlos. There’s something about seeing an actor or actress live that makes it all the more enjoyable, and Lara was hilarious and proved her acting skills span far wider than just the docile mother of a special needs kid.
Kim was epic. She played the doe-eyed, princess-dress wearing, Chantale Goya wannabe Lebanese Frenchie. She pulled it off so well, that sometimes, you’re not sure if you want to pinch her cheeks or punch her in the face. Every second her character was on stage was a great one, and she does an awesome job breaking the ice at the beginning of the performance when no one’s sure what’s gonna happen yet.
Tino’s character was awesome, and it had the usual Tino brand of comedy infused with a heavy Lebanese rural accent for this play. The real joy in his performance was the dichotomy he pulled off with his character, which shifts radically from the start of the play towards the end. Captain Carlos and Madame Carlos pushed the boundaries too in what’s acceptable in comedy performances in Lebanon, another gem you can only find on the stage, and not on the screen here in Beirut.
Marcel’s Dr Raad was the character you love to hate. He’s the full package of all the stuff you hate about posers in Lebanon. What’s nice is that the dishonest, greedy, arrogant psychiatrist gets what he deserves in the play, and suffers hilariously throughout. He orchestrated the flow of the play, and at times when it was hard to keep up with the mentally unstable Carloses, he’d sort of get you back on track with the story line.
Jamal was hilarious too. She’s the typical “tante” who’s always unhappy and a textbook hypochondriac. Her performance was hilarious and I’m sure she reminds you of a couple of ladies you’d rather not know. She also wraps up the storyline in an epic twist that added a lot of awesomeness to the play.
It’s been extended for the whole month of May, and tickets start at 20$. So, if you’re in the mood for some lighthearted laughs and seeing familiar faces in an unfamiliar performance, then check it out!