Cover art by Andrew Skwish

Hotter Than Egypt

Yussef El Guindi

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Description

No matter where you live, the ups and downs of married life are universal. For a middle-aged American couple traveling to Egypt on a business trip-slash-vacation, their relationship is put to the test when an old connection leads to new temptation. As the eager tourists strive to connect with Egyptian culture in an authentic way, they end up getting more than they bargained for as long-dormant marital issues begin to percolate. Drawing from the political, cultural, and religious realities of living in the region, this quick-witted dramedy set in the heat of Cairo pits loyalty against attraction as its characters grapple with the ever-changing struggle of staying committed to their partners.

Production Info

Cast: 5 total (2 female, 3 male, doubling)
Full Length Drama (about 100 minutes)
Multiple Sets
Contemporary Costumes
Reviews

Press Quotes

“Electric! Extraordinary scenes … an explosion waiting to detonate … In Yussef El Guindi’s play, a decades-long marriage unravels in a single day, a single conversation, a single incident. Yet a single incident is never just a single incident in El Guindi’s sharp yet expansive writing. A remark is a pressure point wired to a nerve center, a hairline fracture in eons of tectonic pressure that cracks all the way to the core.” —Lily Janiak, San Francisco Chronicle

“Five Stars! As an observer of intimate relationships, Guindi’s insight and his ability to express it in remarkable dialogue is on a par with the likes of Harold Pinter or Edward Albee … El Guindi’s beautifully written dialogue often presents insights of such exquisite precision and ambiguity that we are forced to laugh, often and loudly. Excellence all the way around.” —Theatrestorm.com

“Riveting, sometimes unsettling, and continuously comic-filled. Brilliantly crafted.” —TheatreEddys.com

“In Yussef El Guindi’s dramatically taut play … the show is filled with laughs. El Guindi’s language is so dynamic and his structure so well crafted that the tension builds slowly and inexorably toward a conclusion that will be tragic — in one way or another — for all of these characters.” —TalkinBroadway.com

“Thought-provoking and hilarious.” —Broadway World

“There was never a dull moment in HOTTER THAN EGYPT. It will have you laughing, sighing and questioning the characters’ decisions … HOTTER THAN EGYPT is a profound yet comical analysis of the ethics of modern tourism, relationships, and morality.” —TeenTix.org

About the Author

Author

  • Yussef El Guindi

    Born in Egypt, raised in London, and now based in Seattle, Yussef El Guindi’s work frequently examines the collision of ethnicities, cultures, and politics that face Arab-Americans and Muslim Americans. El Guindi holds an MFA in playwriting from Carnegie Mellon University and has worked as resident playwright at Silk Road Theatre Project; literary manager for Golden Thread Productions; and playwright-in-residence at Duke University. He is the recipient of many honors, including the Steinberg/ATCA New Play Award and the 2010 Middle East America Distinguished Playwright Award. El Guindi's most recent productions include THE TALENTED ONES at Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland (Santa Barbara Independent Indy Awards); THREESOME at Portland Center Stage, ACT, and at 59E59 (winner of a Portland Drammy for Best Original Script); PILGRIMS MUSA AND SHERI IN THE NEW WORLD (winner of the Steinberg/American Theater Critics Association's New Play Award in 2012; and the 2011 Gregory Award) also at ACT, and at Center Repertory Company (Walnut Creek, CA) 2013; and LANGUAGE ROOMS (Edgerton Foundation New American Play Award), co-produced by Golden Thread Productions and the Asian American Theater Company in San Francisco; at the Wilma Theater in Philadelphia (premiere), and at the Los Angeles Theater Center. Other productions: OUR ENEMIES: LIVELY SCENES OF LOVE AND COMBAT was produced by Silk Road Theater Project and won the M. Elizabeth Osborn award. His play BACK OF THE THROAT (winner of L.A. Weekly's Excellence in Playwriting Award for 2006), PILGRIMS MUSA AND SHERI IN THE NEW WORLD, JIHAD JONES AND THE KALASHNIKOV BABES, SUCH A BEAUTIFUL VOICE IS SAYEDA and KARIMA’S CITY have been published by Dramatists Play Service. TEN ACROBATS IN AN AMAZING LEAP OF FAITH, COLLABORATOR, THREESOME, and THE TALENTED ONES have been published by Broadway Play Publishing Inc. OUR ENEMIES: LIVELY SCENES OF LOVE AND COMBAT is published in the anthology FOUR ARAB AMERICAN PLAYS published by McFarland Books. In January 2019, Bloomsbury will publish SELECTED WORKS BY YUSSEF EL GUINDI. Currently a Core Company playwright member at ACT in Seattle, 2018.

About the Book

Book Information

Publisher BPPI
Publication Date 11/29/2023
Pages 80
ISBN 9780881459906

Special Notes

Special Notes

Licensees are required to include the original stage producers credits in the following form on the title page in all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play and in all advertising in which the full cast appears in size of type not less than ten percent (10%) of the size of the title of the Play:
The following must appear within all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play:
Hotter Than Egypt is produced
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypublishing.com