Despite strong casting, ‘Rumi: The Musical’ fails to impress

Al-Araby
When it comes to the stage musical, those that borrow from Middle Eastern and North African cultures have historically kept MENA talent out of the limelight. From Andrew Lloyd Webber’s long-running Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat to the cinematic adaptations of Prince of Egypt and Aladdin, not to mention the pantomime version of the latter, these shows have often seen white or non-MENA people of colour filling the main roles. So it was more than exciting to learn Rumi: The Musical would buck this trend by exclusively forming its company with performers of Middle Eastern, North Af…