Rania Farid Shawqi Returns to Theater with “Not Romeo and Juliet”

A Return to Her First Artistic Home

Egyptian actress Rania Farid Shawqi expressed her great enthusiasm for her return to the theater after a 5-year absence, as she is starring in the play “Not Romeo and Juliet,” which is currently being shown at the “National Theater” in Cairo.

A New Chapter in Her Career

While she considered herself “unlucky in cinema,” she expressed her happiness at working with a generation of great artists such as Nour El-Sherif, Ezzat El-Alaili, Mahmoud Yassin, Yehia El-Fakharany, Adel Emam, Hussein Fahmy, and Farouk El-Fishawy.

The Play’s Unique Concept

Rania indicated in an interview with Asharq Al-Awsat that director Essam El-Sayed was the one who approached her to present the play “Not Romeo and Juliet.” She stressed that “the play has nothing to do with the text of William Shakespeare’s novel Romeo and Juliet, but rather is a popular opera; 80 percent of it is singing, and the rest of the show is acting with poems written by Amin Haddad. Our show presents fleeting glimpses of the well-known story of Romeo and Juliet, but it is not the basis of the show.”

A Lifeline in Grief

Rania revived the play “King Lear”, which she presented at the “Cairo Show” Theater in 2019. Her last theatrical work before the current show was “Not Romeo and Juliet”, and she mentioned that she sings with the artist Ali El Haggar, who shares the lead role with her in the show, and they presented more than one duet together, in addition to the shows presented by a large number of young people.

Rania considers the play “Not Romeo and Juliet” a “lifeline” that helps her get out of the state of sadness she has been experiencing (her Instagram account)

A Passion for Theater

Rania considers this play a “lifeline” that helps her get out of the state of grief she felt as a result of her mother’s death: “I show her the latest developments in the play every day and sing to her, and she interacts with me and assures me that my voice is beautiful.”

A Regret for the Past

Rania has presented 18 theatrical performances in the public and private sectors, but she expresses her “regret that not all public sector plays have been filmed for television viewing,” calling for “signing a joint protocol between the United Company and the Ministry of Culture to film state plays for television viewing and preserve them as an artistic archive, similar to filming concerts and singing and music festivals, instead of wasting this great effort, which is a reference for future generations.”

Theater as Her First Artistic Home

The daughter of the late “King of the Throne”, Farid Shawqi, sees the theatre as her “first artistic home”: “While studying at the Higher Institute of Theatrical Arts, I stood on the stage of the (National Theatre) for the first time in front of the artist Yehia El-Fakharany in the play (The Love Stories of Atwa Abu Matwa) directed by Saad Ardash, so for me theatre is the best kind of art.”

Arts and Culture

Rania confirms that the artistic cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia promises strong productions, noting that she was one of the first artists to participate in the Kingdom’s entertainment seasons through the performance of “King Lear” in Jeddah and Riyadh years ago, and the Saudi audience welcomed them with great enthusiasm.

My father is from Sayeda Zeinab district and has the qualities and generosity of the locals… and he instilled in us a love for popular figures.

Rania Farid Shawky

The Egyptian artist aspires to play the role of a “mother” of a child with special needs, to present all the details related to this influential group in society as a form of awareness and support for the father and mother, after she got close to them and felt their suffering after her membership and affiliation with a charitable organization that cares for them.

Although she had aspired to present the biography of the late artist Samia Gamal in a drama, Rania admits that this dream “faded away with the passing of years,” noting that presenting the life story of any character requires starting at a young age and reaching the final age before passing, and “this has become difficult” for her.

Rania attributes the secret of her love for the popular character to her family’s origins: “My father is from the popular Sayeda Zeinab neighborhood, and he has the characteristics and generosity of the people of the country, and he loves the popular heritage, and he instilled in us the love of these characters. Also, I am not separate from the people because in order for an artist to excel in presenting his various roles, he must live in reality with all its developments.”

Rania Farid Shawqi’s return to the theater with “Not Romeo and Juliet” marks a new chapter in her career, and her passion for theater shines through in her performance. Her desire to play the role of a mother with special needs and her regret for not filming public sector plays for television viewing show her commitment to her craft and her desire to make a positive impact on society.

Q: What is the play “Not Romeo and Juliet” about?
A: The play is a popular opera that presents fleeting glimpses of the well-known story of Romeo and Juliet, but it is not the basis of the show.

Q: Why did Rania Farid Shawqi choose to return to the theater?
A: She expressed her great enthusiasm for her return to the theater after a 5-year absence, citing her happiness at working with a generation of great artists.

Q: What is Rania Farid Shawqi’s passion for theater?
A: She considers theater as her “first artistic home” and sees it as the best kind of art.

Q: What is Rania Farid Shawqi’s new role to aspire to?
A: She aspires to play the role of a “mother” of a child with special needs.