"Dinner With Friends" Presented by Tall Tales in Dubai

The show will be performed at The Junction Theatre in Al-Serkal Avenue on November 1 and 2

Posted on

13 October 2019

| Last updated on 13 October 2019

Don't Miss 'Dinner With Friends' Heading to Dubai This Autumn

If you were to ask anyone in Dubai what their favorite thing to do is, it would not be sky-dive, or desert safari, or going on top of Burj Khalifa – unanimously it would be having “Dinner with Friends”.

Whether it is a celebration, commemoration, investigation, intervention, or just plain “nothing better to do in life”, having a meal with friends you love is always the revitalization you need! Obviously, this does not come without its share of drama, and that is exactly what we showcase in our next production!

(The newly formed) South Parade in association with Tall Tales production presents “Dinner with Friends” written by Donald Margulies. It premiered at the 1998 Humana Festival of New American Plays and opened Off-Broadway in 1999. The play received the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The play is directed by local starlet Meghana Mundkur whose previous production Enter Macbeth ran to amazing success last year!

There will be three shows playing on the 1st to 2nd of November at The Junction in Al-Serkal Avenue. There will be an evening show at 7 30 pm each day with a special matinee on the 2nd of November at 3.30 pm as well.

Gabe and Karen, married twelve years, are food writers, and most of the play’s seven scenes include the making, eating, and especially discussing of fabulous meals.

Margulies gets the couple’s smug connoisseur dead-on: “The authority with which she handled every onion, every red pepper,” marvels Karen of an Italian crone they visited in Rome. It’s hilarious, pathetic, and quite natural that big moments in their lives are cross-referenced under the meals that went with them: The failed hors d’oeuvres at their wedding, the lemon-almond-polenta cake tonight. And when, as that dessert is served near the beginning of the play, their best friend Beth tells them that she and her husband, Tom, have split up, the mavens can hardly process it.

“We all just went out to eat together,” cries Karen in disbelief. “That Indian place in Branford. We loved their chicken tikka masala”. What follows is 90 minutes of fun, frolic, drama, emotion, and an ending which will surely fulfill your appetite!

Meghana Mundkur, the director and producer says, "I love how simple this script is but at the same time complex in how it portrays relationships – relationships between friends and husbands and wives. Playwright Donald Margulies has written this play in a wonderfully insightful manner with a mix of humor and pathos while etching the lives of these 2 couples who you will get to see on stage.

"As a Director, I have loved how much this has challenged me to make sure that the performances are subtle and relatable. Keeping that mind, I’m immensely grateful that I get to work with four of the finest actors in the Dubai Theatre community. I’m confident that after you’ve watched ‘Dinner with Friends’, it’s going to spur some interesting and entertaining conversations."

Asad Raza Khan, the creative consultant to the production, hails the brilliant team that has come together for this production! "It is ridiculous how relevant and relatable this play is to everyone in Dubai. It is a story you can share with friends, family, siblings, your spouse, partner, or anyone who you can resonate with. The cast and crew boast some of the finest in Dubai with the Meghana at the helm once again.

"Support in Dubai for arts is at an all-time high, and with this production, we would like to thank all of YOU for helping us build the scene and tell tales like these! The arts are on the rise in Dubai and we are throwing a Dinner to celebrate!"

Priyanka Johri, a very familiar name in the Dubai theater scene, is playing Kate. "As soon as I read the script for Dinner With Friends, I knew I wanted to be a part of the cast, and specifically Karen. What excites me most about the play is how challenging it is and the learning curve that would come with this experience.

"It is a beautiful script depicting the fragilities of relationships which would resonate with every member of the audience. Ahmar Iqbal who plays Gabe loves the new experience, “I'm enjoying the challenge of interpreting a modern, juicy, Pulitzer Prize-winning script with an award-winning director and talented cast. On the surface, I think every member of the audience will be able to find something very familiar to take home through the relatable characters and relationships, yet be surprised by the subtleties and depth of that familiarity at the core of the production."

Hussain Hadi who plays Tom says "I loved the script from the first few pages. Raw, powerful, witty and always true. Even in later rehearsals we found ourselves laughing and wincing at the frequently cutting dialogue. The play will be relatable to anyone who has been in a long term relationship or seen their friendships evolve over time.

"I think many people in the audience will find their sympathies shifting as the play goes on - they get to see the couples when they’re young and carefree, as well as when they’re older and trying not to lose themselves with parenthood."

Carine Bouery who plays Beth has been part of many comedies before, mentions this one to be special. “Being part of this play helped me gear away from comedy which has always been my preferred genre of acting. Trying a sort of Kardashian-like reality show on stage, while playing the character of Beth whose character and relationship issues I can identify with greatly, is helping me explore and access real human emotions on stage for the first time.”

The shows in Dubai will be performed on the 1st and 2nd of November at The Junction Theatre in Al-Serkal Avenue. There will be an evening shows at 7 30 pm each day with a special matinee show on Saturday 2nd of November at 3 30 pm as well. Tickets are available online at www.bookmyshow.ae and start at 80 AED.