Broken Wings, a West End Musical co-composed by notable Qatari musician, composer, songwriter and artiste Dana Alfardan, marked a sold-out premiere in Doha. The famous musical opened with a special VIP night at the Katara Opera House on November 7 and ran for two days, November 8 and 9, enthralling the audience with matinee and soiree performances.
“I am thrilled to bring Broken Wings home to Doha. Through the musical I aspire to create a bridge between the East and West by bringing cultures together and uniting people through music and art,” said Dana Alfardan, known as Qatar’s only female contemporary composer and songwriter.
Adapted from Khalil Gibran’s poetic masterpiece, Broken Wings musical is composed by Middle Eastern duo: composer Alfardan and West End’s very own star, Nadim Naaman. It was first performed in London in 2018 to a sold-out show, followed by a special Middle East debut in Lebanon during the famous Beiteddine Festival in July.
In a press statement, Dana Alfardan said that Broken Wings does not only celebrate Arab heritage, but also celebrates women.
“Gibran’s mother was always a compass for him at times of uncertainty. This is the inspiration behind our song Spirit of The Earth. I hope that everyone will enjoy the outstanding performance by the London West End cast, and that it will inspire the audience and fans in Qatar to learn more about the story of Broken Wings and the arts and culture in general,” she said. “I am grateful for the support we have received in bringing Broken Wings to Qatar and especially to our sponsors who have paved the way for future productions such as ours to have a place here in Doha, we couldn’t have done this without them,” Dana Alfardan added.
The show in Doha witnessed Naaman leading the Broken Wings cast as Gibran, Hanna Qureshi as Selma, and Sophia Foroughi as Mother. Directed by Bronagh Lagan, it showcased orchestrations and musical direction by Joe Davison and performed by the Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra.
“I am very excited to be here in Doha to debut Broken Wings for the first time. I first visited Doha two years ago when Dana and I were writing songs for Broken Wings,” Naaman said.
“The decision of bringing the musical to Doha was mutual as we both share a particular passion for creating synergy and understanding between cultures from the East and West. I hope Qatar’s multi-cultural audience will enjoy Khalil Gibran’s message of love, tolerance and acceptance and the amazing performance of the West End London cast,” he noted.
Darwish Ahmad al-Shaibani, director of Marketing and Cultural Affairs at Katara, said: “After a long wait, Broken Wings is finally on our shores and we at Katara are honoured to be the host of this significant event.”
Alfardan and Naaman also hosted an exclusive masterclass with 35 students from Doha’s top International Schools’ music programmes with the cast on November 9, after which the students were invited to watch the matinee performance. During the workshop, the students had the opportunity to learn Spirit of The Earth as well as have a Q&A and meet the cast of Broken Wings.
Broken Wings partnered with Katara – the Cultural Village, Qatar Airways, Virgin Megastore, Capital Partners, Mondrian Doha, E-projects, BMW Alfardan Automobiles, BMW Group Importer in Qatar, Qatar Foundation and Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra as sponsors of the concert.