Ibn Battuta performance at the Royal Opera House Muscat in May 2015 (Photo: Khalid AlBusaidi, ROHM)
Produced by Arabesque International, Ibn Battuta the Winged Traveller will be staged at the auditorium of the Milan Expo 2015 on 25 and 26 July.
The musical is composed by Hisham Gabr of Egypt, and directed and choreographed by Cairo-based Lebanese artist Walid Aouni.
Described in its promotional material as "a colourful spectacle", the project brings together over 170 artists from Egypt, the Arab world and Europe and depicts medieval explorer Ibn Battuta's travels.
Ibn Battuta was staged at the Royal Opera House Muscat on 30 and 31 May.
The leading role of Ibn Battuta senior is played by renowned Egyptian actor Abdelrahman Abou-Zahra, while Ezz Elostool plays Ibn Battuta junior and Heba Raslan takes the role of the girl.
The cast of singers also includes Ghada Shbeir from Lebanon, Rehab Omar from Egypt and Omani singer Hoda Elkhanbashi.
The Orchestra I Pomeriggi Musicali (in cooperation with Fondazione Scuole Civiche di Milano and Conservatorio Giuseppe Verdi di Milano, Italy), the Antonine University choir and Lebanese National Conservatory Choir in cooperation with a choir from Egypt, will be conducted by Gabr.
The performance also incorporates Sofia Ballet (Bulgary) and Omani Folk Dance Group.
Ibn Battuta the Winged Traveller is an expanded, refreshed version of the same musical material that was performed in February 2013 at the Bahrain National Theatre. The 2013 performance included an orchestra from Poland and a dance troupe from Syria.
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