An autobiographical account of KAHLIL GIBRAN’S first love, Broken Wings is a musical adaptation of the iconic poet’s 1912 masterpiece, with songs by Dana Al Fardan & Nadim Naaman, and orchestrations, arrangements and underscore by Joe Davison. The production premiered at The Theatre Royal Haymarket in August 2018, conducted by Joe, with further international productions to be announced through 2019 & 2020.
Orchestration reviews:
“A score packed with detailed texture. Middle Eastern influences are certainly present but often subtly layered in – the string riffs that adorns tracks like ‘Farris Effandi Karamy’ or the plaintive ‘So Many Questions’, and the rhythm that underpins the glorious ‘Spirit of the Earth’. And as much attention has been paid to fashioning clean and solid tunes that have the warmth of the familiar even on first listen. So a triumph then, a swooningly romantic piece of musical theatre” – musicaltheatrereview.com
“Particular flair is found in the orchestrations for the nine-piece band, which expertly tracks the vocal lines with instrumental colour and counterpoint and adds Arab percussive and folk touches with skill and restraint. It is a particular and rare pleasure in the West End to have a musical theatre orchestra dominated by strings.! – playstosee.com
!The real star is orchestrator and conductor, Joe Davison… a masterful musical director, his baton is on the pulse throughout. The musical arrangements are haunting and quite beautiful. The highlights, for me, occur when the melodic modes and influences of the East shine through” – spyinthestalls.com
“Joe Davison’s outstanding orchestration is the star of the show. The beautifully flowing, virtuosic music evokes feelings of hot summer nights and all-encompassing romance and brings the emotion to life.” – rewritethisstory.com
“The sumptuous strings of the onstage orchestra constantly reinforce the elysian atmosphere effused by the Beirut of Gibran’s memories, whilst his 40 year old self is scored with more ominous tones. Orchestrations by Joe Davison are utterly faultless throughout, subtle yet striking at every moment.” – talkstageytome.com
The story:
New York City, 1923. An ageing Gibran narrates from his cold studio. Through poetry and music, he transports us back two decades and across continents, to turn-of-the-century Beirut. His eighteen-year-old self returns to The Middle East after five years in America, to complete his education and discover more of his heritage. He falls deeply in love with Selma Karamy, the daughter of family friend and hugely respected local businessman, Farris Karamy. However, Selma soon becomes betrothed to Mansour Bey Galib, nephew of the powerful Bishop Bulos Galib, who has one eye on the Karamy family fortune. Gibran and Selma fight to reconcile their love for one another, whilst navigating the rules, traditions and expectations that their society lays before them.
This moving new musical is written by Middle Eastern duo Nadim Naaman and Dana Al Fardan, and directed by Bronagh Lagan, produced by Ali Matar with orchestrations by Joe Davison. What inspired the acclaimed author of The Prophet to write? What moved him to such profound philosophy in his later life? The events of Broken Wings highlight key issues of the time, yet the themes and debates raised remain increasingly relevant today, over a century later; the fight for gender equality, the freedom to love who we love, tradition versus modernity, wealth versus happiness, immigration and the importance of ‘home’.