When Arab Opera Meets Shaolin Kung Fu: A Cross-Cultural 'Antar & Abla' Debuts In Abu Dhabi

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

Under the open Abu Dhabi sky, the Arab world's most beloved warrior-poet rises again. In the new operatic staging of Antar & Abla, performers from across the region - and even a troupe of Shaolin monks - unite to tell a story of exile, honour, impossible love, and tribal conflict. Speaking to Khaleej Times after a VIP preview show, the cast revealed the emotional weight of stepping into characters they grew up hearing about, and the creative team outlined how an ancient legend was reshaped for a modern audience.

The legendary tale of Antar and Abla has been retold for centuries in poetry and folklore, but the Abu Dhabi production presents it through a strikingly contemporary lens. The show becomes the first opera sung entirely in Arabic using an Arab operatic technique, staged as an open-air hybrid production with cinematic scenography, martial arts choreography, and a live Chinese orchestra. For the cast, it is not only a performance but, as Executive Producer and Lead Tenor Amine Hachem put it:“building history.”

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The preview night gave audiences a taste of the production's scale and ambition. The Lanzhou Symphony Orchestra filled the venue with a sweeping musical score, while lighting, projections and choreography painted the desert epic in modern colours. Behind the scenes, the team transformed the International Tennis Centre at Zayed Sports City in just ten days, constructing a 300-sqm stage and expansive digital backdrops that allow the poetry and movement to unfold with unusual clarity for an outdoor opera.

A conflicted hero and a voice built for the role

Portraying Antar is a responsibility Hachem does not take lightly. Speaking to Khaleej Times, he described the emotional and vocal demands of the role.

“Antar is conflicted,” he said.“He is in love with Abla. He is exiled by his tribe. He feels like he does not belong in Yemen, nor in Hejaz. His tribe considers him a bastard, even though he's the hero of his tribe.”

That tension - between identity, belonging and dignity - is what makes the performance“emotionally quite taxing.”

The role was adapted specifically for his voice.“It's always interesting to be the first to do something like that,” he said.“We're building history in a way, and we're hoping that it's going to succeed for future generations.”

Growing up in Lebanon, Antar was a familiar cultural reference.“Whenever we want to say somebody is strong, we say, 'Ya Antar!'” he said with a laugh.“It's something that I cherish, it's something that I honour and I respect.”

Asked what young Arab men facing discrimination might take from the character, he pointed to Antar's resilience and refusal to let prejudice define him.“People will just see him for the person he is rather than his race or the colour of his skin.”

“Everybody's calling me Antar these days,” he added.“And I like it.”

Abla's strength and the emotional heart of the opera

For mezzo-soprano Mariam Mouawad, who plays Abla, the character's perseverance is at the core of the story.

“She gets kidnapped and faces many obstacles – but despite ordeal and separation, Abla remains steadfast in love and principle.”

This is Mouawad's first performance in Abu Dhabi, and she said the opera's mix of classical poetry, digital scenography, and martial arts offered a fusion of all kinds of art. She highlighted the lovers' reunion - set to the song that forms the main theme of the production 'My heart's throbs chant Antar' as one of the production's most powerful moments.

On the Shaolin fusion, she said simply:“It was beautiful and unprecedented.”

The rival: noble values even in opposition

Lebanese baritone Cesar Naassy, who plays Mared Tay - Antar's rival - views his character through the lens of tribal honour.

Because Abla's beauty could weaken Antar, the tribe uses her strategically, he explained:

But even the antagonist, he said, is not a villain.“there isn't a purely evil character.”
Each character, including Mared Tay, carries both fierceness and poetry - a reminder of the archetypal Arab warrior-poet.

On the cultural fusion, he said:“every nation has something special to offer.”

Shayboub: humour, speed, and cultural revival

Actor Pierre Sammia, who plays Shayboub, Antar's quick-witted half-brother, said his character oscillates between humour and strategy. His role in the story is to lure Antar out of exile so the tribe can win the war.

Sammia recalled memorising mu'allaqat poetry in school and feels the opera revives a deep cultural connection to the Arabic language.“audiences will be drawn back to the classical Arabic language – we need to bring it back to life,” he pointed.

Shaolin monks meet Arabic opera

At the centre of the production's intercultural energy is the Shaolin martial arts troupe performing choreographed combat sequences throughout.

Coordinator Leo Zheng said the team prepared“full of energy” for the production and called the collaboration“a really amazing culture cross-over.” It is the first time the group has performed within an Arabic opera.

A new chapter in Arab opera

For Maestro Maroun Al Rahi, composer of Antar & Abla, the production signals a new era. Although rooted in history, the opera is presented“with a new vision that is fit for the modern age,” with a libretto written specifically in operatic form by Dr Antoine Maalouf and set to a newly developed Arab operatic technique.

“There was never an Arabic technique for opera,” Al Rahi said.“This is the first time an opera is fully sung in classical Arabic – it is a new phase for Arabic music and art.

The Abu Dhabi staging is also the first open-air version of the opera, using the night sky and expansive digital design to appeal to younger audiences - a scale Al Rahi describes as“five times” that of traditional opera houses.

A love story retold for a new generation

The production follows Antar - the famed Black Arab warrior-poet, born into slavery and denied recognition - and his unwavering devotion to Abla, whose loyalty and courage match his own. Their journey spans exile, betrayal and a climactic battle in which poetry and honour triumph over scheming.

The Abu Dhabi staging retains the story's epic sweep while layering it with modern choreography, martial arts sequences, a live international orchestra, and a visually rich reunion scene that performers say remains the opera's emotional core.

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