As the Lebanese civil war rages outside in the streets of Beirut, life in the Sandy Snack bar goes as usual, serving as a microcosm to Beirut in particular and Lebanon in general. Zakaria (... See full summary
Bennesbeh Labokra Chou (2016) Online
As the Lebanese civil war rages outside in the streets of Beirut, life in the Sandy Snack bar goes as usual, serving as a microcosm to Beirut in particular and Lebanon in general. Zakaria (Ziad Rahbani) is a bartender who -- like the rest of his compatriots -- suffers from the increasing prices and lack of security. In order to get by, he brings his wife Thorayya (Nabila Zeytouni) to assist him in the bar and to sell herself to the clientele outside the bar. The play focuses on Zakaria's struggle between his jealousy and feeling like a cuckold and his inability to return to poverty by asking his wife to stop working. Meanwhile, Rahbani's commentary on the war, the Lebanese society and its rapid urbanization, and the various forces shaping the war is played out by various characters around the couple: Sheikh Da'fous is a stereotypical rich man from the Gulf who wants to open a hotel in his country and employ Zakaria, Ramiz delivers vegetables from the village and gets enchanted by the ...