ARTS&LIFE
MUSICAL THEATER

M

usical theater audiences trade in razzle-dazzle stag-
ing for more subtle expressions of the heart when 
they view The Band’s Visit appearing April 19-May 1 
at Detroit’s Fisher Theatre. 
The caliber of the experience has been heralded by profes-
sional colleagues after seeing the Broadway run of the pro-
duction, which is set in Israel. The play became one of only 
four musicals ever to win six Tony Awards. 
In 2017, judges voted top rankings in the categories of Best 
Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor, Best Actress and 
Best Direction.
The storyline explores personal reactions and interactions, 
with some laughs, as members of an Egyptian band heading 
for a performance in Israel mistakenly get on the wrong bus. 
They find themselves dropped off in a remote area that unex-
pectedly connects them — heart-to-heart — with lonely town 
residents as they wait for the next bus.
The production is an adaptation of an Israeli film written 
and directed by Eran Kolirin and developed for the stage 
at the behest of New York producer Orin Wolf, whose wife, 
Shiri Bilik Wolf, was raised in Michigan and occasionally 
wrote for the Detroit Jewish News. 
“My romance with this project started in 2007 when we 
shot the film, and it hasn’t stopped,” said Sasson Gabay, an 
award-winning Israeli stage, film and TV star, who continued 

Israeli-set production comes to the 
Fisher Theatre April 19-May 1.

The Band’s Visit

SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER

44 | APRIL 7 • 2022 

Sasson Gabay 

