LADY TABOULI
2019
LADY TABOULI Griffin Theatre ‘Batch Festival’.
Concept by James Elazzi and Antony Makhlouf
Written by James Elazzi
Directed by Dino Dimitriadis
Originally performed in the iconic Griffin Stables Theatre, this version of Lady Tabouli had a different approach, where light and flamboyance drove the play.
On the night of his engagement party, Danny decides it’s time to break it off. This isn’t right. Or true. Back at home and living with his ultra-religious Lebanese parents, he starts to collide his culture and queerness one lip-sync and lipstick at a time.
Unapologetic, piercing and deliciously camp, Lady Tabouli is James Elazzi‘s unflinching look at a life desperate for freedom, truth and a little more mascara.
Assistant Director Lara Balken
Assistant Director Jestika Chand
Production Designer Jonathan Hindmarsh
Co-Lighting Designer Benjamin Brockman
Co-Lighting Designer Ryan McDonald
Sound Designer Benjamin Pierpoint
Creative Producer Leila Enright
Associate Creative Producer Bernadette Fam
Stage Manager Hannah Crane
With Nisrine Amine, Paul Capsis, Deborah Galanos, Antony Makhlouf.
5 QUESTIONS WITH JAMES ELAZZI AND PAUL CAPSIS
04.04.19
James Elazzi is the playwright behind Lady Tabouli, which stars a wonderful cast including the one and only Paul Capsis.
1. Introduce yourself with a fun fact that someone might not know about you!
Paul: My name is Paul Capsis, I was born in Surry Hills, and I am a first generation Maltese/Greek Australian performer with thirty-seven years experience as an international performing artist.
James: My name is James Elazzi, and I’m the writer of Lady Tabouli.
Paul: Something that people might not know about me… is that I was a cleaner for many years, and an usher in the Theatre Royal for five years. These jobs allowed me to fulfil my early passions to be a working artist.
James: And a fun fact about me is that I’m a country boy and I feel happiest surrounded by nature.
2. Paint us a picture of your show in 5 words.
James: Raw, honest, flamboyant, heartbreaking and fun.
Paul: And don’t forget fierce!
3. What was the inspiration behind the creation of your show?
James: Lady Tabouli is inspired by individuals that go against the grain, striving to make a difference in society and the communities they come from. As a writer, I’m also inspired by those who are constantly seeking answers and not just ‘accepting’.
Paul: James’ writing was one of the reasons I was drawn to the show. I like to think of myself as a bit of a mentor to up and coming young artists, and I hope to imbue a sense of confidence and truth with how we make work here in Sydney and Australia, which is something I myself never experienced when I started out. I think it’s synchronistic that in Lady Tabouli, I play a character who inspires someone to be themselves—Danny’s Angel.
4. What are you most looking forward to about bringing your show to Batch Festival 2019 at Griffin?
Paul: I am looking forward to creating a new space and voice through James’s work in the festival. My total focus is on the writing and allowing that new work a platform to develop and breathe in front of an audience. With the guidance of a director like Dino Dimitriadis and fellow actors, I am looking forward to creating a first showing of this new material and hope to allow the writer a chance to see how his work might potentially be presented in the future. There is also the added pleasure of returning to Griffin after a long absence since making my hit one-man play Angela’s Kitchen with them in 2010.