The Plot: It's the other face festivals in the kingdom of Selina. It's where everyone wears a mask and starts role playing. While the people are enjoying the festival, the king bans the wearing of the masks and ends the festivities. He does so because a prophecy tells that a princess will arrive to the kingdom wearing a mask and that she is the one the king should marry. His plan would help identify the princess since she will be the only one with a mask. The people, willingly and for the sake of their king, end the festivals. Hala and her father arrive to the kingdom from a faraway place called Daraj Ellouz trying to sell Masks. They don't find any festivities. And so the father goes to the local bar leaving his daughter to sell the masks and bring him the money. The people realizing that Hala is a stranger with a mask, think that she is the princess. The astronomer also confirms their theory. Hala gets confused, and they take her to the palace. In the palace, they give her a new dress and present her to the king. Hala tells them her story and to prove she's telling the truth, she tells them about her father. The king sends some soldiers to the bar to bring Hala's father and offers Hala to await her father in the palace but she prefers to stay in the square. When her father returns, they ask him if Hala is his daughter and he says she's not. The soldiers go to tell the king what happened. When Hala asks her father why he denied that she's his daughter, he tells her that he knew that if he says she isn't, she is going to be the princess and marry the king. He wants her to be wealthy and to live a better life than the one she has back home. Hala doesn't appreciate her father's wills and tells him to go back and drink then come back, perhapes then he'll say the truth. But then it was too late. Hala stays with Saheriyah who ever since Hala's arrival and even earlier has been dreaming on inviting the princess to live with her and share her cloths and food. The king announces forty nights of feasts for the wedding. Later, the king's men and women all demand to meet with Hala. She tells them she won't marry the king. But even though they doubt or even know she is not a princess, they ask her to marry the king so that everyone could get a share from the feast. They even offer to conspire with her so that she, and they, can later exploit the king for their wants, but she asks them about love. Hala tells them that as they claim she is a princess, then the power that entails would give her the choice of refusing the marriage. The king happy as ever asks for the princess and is told that she is getting ready for the wedding. The beggar, however, stands out and discloses the truth that Hala doesn't wish to marry him. He meets with the king in private and convinces him that not everyone wants to become a king, and happiness can be easily found. The king borrows the beggar’s cloths and goes to meet Hala. They talk to eachother. When he asks her, while pretending to be a beggar, why not marry the king and exploit him. She tells him she's not interested but that's what the King's servants asked her to do. Then she realizes she is talking to the king. The king too realizes the truth about his city that his men has been hiding from him. It ends with Hala departing the city.
Quick Notes: I like fantasy worlds very much and this play is set in a kingdom called Selina and from the start of the play, it captivates you with enchanting music and an interesting festival in which people wear masks and spend the night role playing. Then come twists and turns in which the story develops into the fable that it is. Unlike almost all other plays, the second introduction is a few minutes into the second disc. Also, the songs on each disc are crammed into one track. The booklet only contains the track listings in Arabic and English as well as a few lines from the play.
The Credits: Fairuz ... Hala Nasri Shameseddin ... El Malek Huda ... Saheryyieh Elie Choueiri ... Habb Eryyh Mohamed Merhi ... El moustachar Joesph Nassif ... El Araaf William Haswani ... Eshehad With Melhem Barakat. Written by the Rahbani Brothers and directed by Sabri Sharif.
Disk 1: [52'45]
01. Overture 02. Sahriye Faouk Sahriye 03. Tall El Eid 04. Bi Amr El Malek 05. Ya Ahali Selina 06. Ya Zahrat El Leyl 7. Jayine Ala Sahet Selina 08. Ya Bayyi Ya Habb Erryh 09. Lala Yaba Lala 10. Hiyyi Hiyyi 11. Herrass El Madina 12. Ya Mkassat 13. Kltely El Meraye 14. Douckoul El Malek 15. Metl Ma Enhaka 16. Dakket Ala Sadry 17. Habibi Baddoul Amar
Disk 2: [55'35]
01. Tessad Fiha 02. Arreb Ya Moustashar 03. B'temshou Shouway 04. Fouti Ala Bouyoutna 05. Daraj El Laouz 06. Introduction Part 2 07. Nami Ya Sabiyeh 08. Harab El Eid 09. Ya Shehad El Madina 10. Ya Hassreti Alayya 11. Be'adelha El Be'addel 12. Sahranin Ou Mabsoutin 13. Heyk B'tenkirni Ya Bayyi 14. Ana Bentak Ou Enta Bayyi 15. Ya Ahali Selina 16. Baddi Abel El Amira 17. Shayef El Bahr Shou Kbir 18. Ya Ahali Slina Emeltouni Amira 19. Oumou Rkoussou Ou Frahou 20. El Malek Ou Eshehad 21. El Malek Ou Hala 22. Rayhin Min Sahet Selina
