Hotter Than Egypt

(Review of the ACT Seattle production)

"THOUGHT-PROVOKING AND HILARIOUS.

What [playwright Yussef] El Guindi has done here is to take a typical relationship comedy trope and mix it in with his standard cultural examinations to thought provoking and hilarious effect. 

Probably the most interesting bit he uses is the language barrier and he uses it to a stunningly effective and funny level as when any of the local people are speaking English, they do so in their Arabic accents but when they speak Arabic, they drop any Arabic accent and simply speak English. It's kind of brilliant gag that is introduced early on and never failed to get a laugh and still be crystal clear as to what was happening.

I give ACT's World Premiere of "Hotter Than Egypt" an exuberant YAY."

"Yussef El Guindi’s new play deftly delves into a constellation of differences – not only cultural, but marital, economic, power, gender, and generational – some between cultures and some within.  The result is a lively dramedy that reveals the causes and consequences of the cracks in the American couple’s marriage. Depictions by each of the actors resonate with authenticity."

(Review of the MTC production)

“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. Director John Langs sets El Guindi’s writing alight, bringing such a range of stakes to a scene that you might feel you’ve lived a whole life in just a few minutes.”

"In Yussef El Guindi's dramatically taut play (with skilled direction by John Langs and wonderful performances from each member of his cast)… what's at stake for these characters (primarily their continued relationships) is deadly serious, yet 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."

"There was never a dull moment in Hotter Than Egypt. It will have you laughing, sighing and questioning the characters' decisions. This performance will leave you pondering over its characters, their motives, the overarching themes of loyalty, and exploration of differences. Hotter Than Egypt is a profound yet comical analysis of the ethics of modern tourism, relationships, and morality." 

“Riveting, sometimes unsettling, and continuously comic-filled. Brilliantly crafted. 

Yussef El Guindi continuously injects delicious one-liners that bite and tell their own comic truth, resulting in a highly engaging, fast-moving, thoroughly entertaining Hotter than Egypt that is every minute a dramedy from opening to end. Five 'E's—a Theatre Eddys best bet!”

“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. The director has made sure that his actors have polished their work to an amazing degree. This is acting on the high wire and it is quite thrilling and involving. 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.”