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Ya'eesh Ya'eesh/ Long Live Long Live (Piccadilly 1970)

Editor's quick notes (contains plot spoilers):
There must have been a number of revolutions and coups d'état in the sixties. I say this because there was a number of productions dealing with this issue. Ya'eesh Ya'eesh is one of them. There is also a funny Woody Allen's film called Bananas released in '71.
Anyway, the play begins in Mida, a fictional empire after some rebels took over control. The emperor escapes and seeks hiding in a village near the border on the advice of his commanders, so that he can easily flee the country if something goes wrong. He finds shelter in a small store owned by the Hunter Abou Deeb and his grand daughter Haifa. As the emperor continues to live for sometime in that small village, he gets to learn more about his people and the corruption of his government.
Like always, the play is filled with the "Rahbani" characters from the bluffing hunter to the Shawish to the innocent young girl to the smuggler. As for the songs, well it's just enough to say that this play contains 'Habbaytak Belsayf', 'Shady' and 'Betrja'a Ya Layl'. As well as the intelligent choir songs like 'Jarayed Jarayed' and the always great "conversational songs". And the great lines when making fun of the rhetoric used by official governmental spokesmen and statements, that strangely enough is still used today. The plays also addresses the issues of the media, etc.
Overall, The Rahbanis and Fairuz don't disappoint. Duh, As if they ever did.
Great transfer to compact discs resulting in good sound all through. The booklet only contains the summary in Arabic and in English as well as short biographies of Fairuz and the Rahbani Brothers in Arabic. There is also a mistake in the English Listing of the second disc and numerous mistakes in listing the length of the tracks. One would have hoped that the plays be released in nice packages that include a little booklet of the script, the songs and some information on the production itself. Ah, maybe next time.

Booklet Summary:
The Rahbani Brothers have written some very successful satirical plays, one of them is "Ya'eesh Ya'eesh". In this play they are dealing with the question of coups, where the ruler of an imaginary country "Mida" is deposed and a committee takes control of the administration. The emperor manages to escape under the guise of an ordinary citizen (Barhoum), pretending to have left after quarreling with his wife and mother-in-law. He takes refuge in a village shop claiming that he will go back when things cool down a bit.
From the gossip that takes place in the shop he obtains a lot of information on the general situation in his country. He also establishes a friendship with the leader of a gang of smugglers and again through the gossip he finds that another coup is being planned, in which the leader of the smugglers is taking part. To his delight he also knows that the group have decided to appoint him as Head of State.
The coup takes place and the Emperor, as Barhoum, is appointed Head of State. The first thing he does is to send a group of his followers to look for the rulers of the old regime. He sends them to the village shop in case they are hiding as he did under a disguise.
Having a general idea about the plot, we are more easily to sit back and enjoy the pleasure of the music and the singing of a very fine cast.



Credits:
Fairuz ... Haifa
Nasri Shamseddine ... Abou Deeb the hunter
William Haswani ... Aboud Afendi Ashawish
Philemon Wehbe ... Shebli
Antoine Kerbaj ... Malhab the smuggler
Nawal Elkekk ... Oum Abdou
Joseph Nassif ... Mefleh
Joesph Sakr ... Saleh Afendi
Written by the Rahbani Brothers
Except for Layliyi Bterja'a, music by Philemon Wehbe. And Ana Hawet written by Sayed Darwish.


Album Tracks:
CD1 (64'17")
1. First Overture 1'12"
2. Hona Mahattat 2'53"
3. Wak Ya Jeddi 2'49"
4. Ya Mawlana Amrator 3'32"
5. Ya Rayeh A Kfarhala 4'25"
6. Yall Ya Askarieh 1'00"
7. Hat Tizkirtak 2'35"
8. Wafd Wafd 1'41"
9. Ya Shawish Elkarakon 2'22"
10. Haifa and Barhoum 2'24"
11. Majless A'ala 1'09"
12. Jarayed Jarayed 1'45"
13. Nakashet Nakashet 2'34"
14. Moujaz Akhbar 36"
15. Shoufili Bhal Jaridi 2'22"
16. Shady 2'38"
17. Haifa And Barhoum 1'09"
18. Sme'ena Bahl Layl 3'30"
19. Embrator Sar Ferrayi 4'27"
20. Sabehom Bil Khair 1'34"
21. Layliyi Bterja'a 4'07"
22. Malhab Jayi 3'47"
23. Kasak Malhab 5'34"
24. Tdour Tdour 3'11"
CD2 (47'22")
1. Second Overture 1'50"
2. Alo Alo 1'59"
3. Kol El Nass Berdanin 40"
4. Habbaytak Bessayf 3'35"
5. Barad Eltaks 1'05"
6. Bou Dib and Om Abdo 2'19"
7. Wak Ya Haifa '"
8. Mashad Sahafa 1'21"
9. Ana Hawet 2'26"
10. Sahafa Sahafa 2'31"
11. Mashad Massoul 1'18"
12. Haifa and Barhoum 1'13"
13. Nharkom Inkilab 2'11"
14. Shou Jayeb 8'02"
15. Malhab and Barhoum 3'36"
16. Ya Mit Hala 2'04"
17. Malhab, Barhoum and Haifa 3'48"
18. Balagh Rakm Wahed 3'20"
19. Teleh El Mounadi 2'04"


Total time 111'39" - VDLCD 616/617