BETHLEHEM, Pa. — An Arab-American comedy explores the breakdown of a marriage and the its ripple effect on a family.
"My One and Only (Ma Eli Ghayro)," will take place at the Zoellner Arts Center on Saturday, Jan. 27.
The play is written by Najee Mondalek of Ajyal Theatrical Group and directed by Aziz Charabaty.
'When it rains, it pours'
The performance features the fictional character, Im Hussein, a family matriarch who has been featured in several of Mondalek's plays including 2013's "The Jubilee Show" and 2018's "Double Trouble."
In the newest play, Hussein is going through a messy divorce which causes her to ponder the adage, "When it rains, it pours."
"Many problems came her way all at once. Divorce was the straw that broke the camel's back. Life has not been the same for her ever since. She still struggles to resume her normal life, but she comes up short," a synopsis for the play reads.
Mondalek founded Ajyal in 1988 in Detroit, Michigan.
The company's mission is to provide quality Arabic theater, arts and cultural experiences for Arab immigrants across the world and support the development of Arabic arts on a regional level through education and advocacy.
Tickets to the 8 p.m. performance cost $80 to $110.
“Most of Ajyal Theatrical Group shows poke fun at the everyday lives of Arab-Americans, who have recently become citizens and who are desperately trying to blend into the mainstream of American culture,”the website says.
