“Preparation for this play took the crew almost a year,” Sobhi said during a press conference held on the same night, where he thanked the crew members for their efforts in the “different theatrical experiment.”

The musical comedy show ‘Nogoum El-Dohr’, directed by Sobhi, discusses the daily issues of Egyptians, featuring around 30 actors and singers from his troupe ‘Actors Studio,’ including the veteran Samir Abdel-Aziz.

Co-written by Ayman Feteha, the show’s lyrics were written by Abdallah Hassan with the composition and music production of Sherif Hemdan.

Sobhi, who set a record in building theatres in Egypt with five theatre halls, is presenting ‘Nogoum El-Dohr’ at Sonbol City theatre on Cairo-Alexandria Road.

The 1970 graduate of the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts launched his fruitful career in 1968, performing in over 40 theatre shows, 22 films and 25 TV series, with many being among the most popular Arab classics.

With Al-Karnak (1975) and Hona Al-Qahera (1985) being among his most notable films, Sobhi garnered a huge fan-base through his few but influential series including Sonbol and Yawmeyat Wanis, which aired between 1994 and 2013 with a total of about 300 episodes.

Sobhi recently celebrated his 50-year career by paying tribute to over 100 artists in an event titled '50 Sana Fann' (50 years of art).