The Strangest
Description
Midway through Albert Camus's The Stranger, an Arab is killed. Leaping from this moment and working backwards through possible histories of tangled romance, ethnic conflict, and random violence, Betty Shamieh has crafted a play inspired by this unnamed character. Infused with elements of Middle Eastern oral storytelling traditions and set in French Algiers on the brink of revolution, THE STRANGEST is an absurdist murder mystery about three Algerian brothers who vie for the love of the same woman. Their bitter rivalry ends with one brother being inexplicably gunned down by a French stranger.
Production Info
Full Length Drama (about 100 minutes)
Minimal Set Requirements
Contemporary Costumes
Press Quotes
“The murdered Algerian in Albert Camusโs The Stranger isn’t even worthy of a name. We know the killer is a Frenchman who goes by Meursault, but the victim is anonymous. Now THE STRANGEST, by Betty Shamieh (ROAR, FIT FOR A QUEEN), reframes the point of view once again: from a criminal Frenchman to an Algerian woman, from the colonizer to the colonized. Umm belongs to a storytelling family, and she attempts to join their traditionally male ranks by turning her drama into a suspenseful riddle. A mix of Arabic storytelling flourishes and Ionesco-like absurdum!” โThe New York Times
“Shamieh structured THE STRANGEST as a murder mystery where one of three brothers will be shot in the end. In the play, Abu, the father of the young man who is shot, was known as a powerful storyteller. Nevertheless, the most powerful voice is Umm, Abu’s wife. Reminiscent of commedia dell’arte โฆ the play not only mitigates the colonial deletion of native voices in Camus’s novel, but also challenges the general silencing of women.” โArab Stages
“THE STRANGEST, suggested by the classic novel, turns the tale inside out, exploring the mysterious murder through the device of a traditional Arab storytelling cafรฉ in which the audience is immersed.” โNew York Magazine
Author
Betty ShamiehBetty Shamieh is the author of fifteen plays and the Mellon Foundation Playwright in Residence at the Classical Theatre of Harlem (CTH). Her comedy, MALVOLIO, premiered in the Uptown Shakespeare in the Park at the Richard Rodgers Amphitheatre and was a New York Times Critic's Pick. Winner of the 2023 New York Shakespeare Award for Best Comedy, MALVOLIO was nominated for ten AUDELCO Awards, including Best Play. A graduate of Harvard College and the Yale School of Drama, Shamieh was named a UNESCO Young Artist for Intercultural Dialogue, Harvard University Clifton Visiting Artist, a Denning Visiting Artist at Stanford, and Radcliffe Playwriting Fellow. She was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship for Drama in 2016. Her dramedy, ROAR, premiered off-Broadway at the New Group and was named a New York Times Critic's Pick. Her other theatre productions include: THE BLACK EYED (New York Theatre Workshop & The Magic Theatre), FIT FOR A QUEEN (Classical Theatre of Harlem), THE MACHINE (Naked Angels), THE STRANGEST (The Semitic Root), and TERRITORIES (EU Capital of Culture Festival & The Magic Theatre). Shamieh wrote and co-starred in her play of monologues, CHOCOLATE IN HEAT, in two extended Off-Off-Broadway runs and over twenty university theatres. Her works have been translated into seven languages. Her debut novel, Too Soon, will be published by Avid Reader Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, in 2025. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @bettyshamieh.
Book Information
| Publisher | BPPI |
|---|---|
| Publication Date | 6/30/2018 |
| Pages | 68 |
| ISBN | 9780881457865 |
Special Notes
by special arrangement with Broadway Play Publishing Inc, NYC
www.broadwayplaypublishing.com
