Fate of a Cockroach
Fate of a Cockraoch
by Tewfik al Hakim
Presented in the Roy
Bowen Theatre
Directed by Naila Al-Atrash
May 12 at 7:30 PM
May 13-15, 19-22, 26-28 at 8 PM
May 22 at 2 PM
The Fate of a Cockroach combines riotously comic and dark political allegory with marital farce. The play begins with a self-proclaimed king of the cockroaches expounding on the greatness of cockroach achievements to indifferent compatriots while ants carry off individual cockroaches for their meals. The debate over cockroach individualism versus the collective action of ants continues until the king accidentally falls into a giant tub. Meanwhile, an Egyptian engineer obsessively watches a cockroach’s vain attempts to climb out of the bathtub. . . and the engineer’s wife grows increasingly concerned for his sanity. In the juxtaposition of fantastic and realistic settings, Hakim creates a searing indictment that extends from Egyptian leaders to the general populace. This production will be guest directed by Naila Al-Atrash, one of the foremost women directors in the Arab world.
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