NVAP Musical Matinee: The Band's Visit

The Band's Visit is an atmospheric and intimate musical about an accidental encounter of two disparate cultures. With an eclectic score that blends classical Arabic music, Klezmer and jazz, the story follows the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra as they find themselves stranded in a sleepy Israeli town. Strangers in a strange land, they are welcomed to nowhere by a company of locals and discover that that which unites them is greater than any social or political divide. The music and lyrics are by David Yazbek and a book by Itamar Moses, based on the 2007 Israeli film of the same name. This production was directed by Michael Longhurst at the Donmar Warehouse, London, and recorded live by the V&A in November 2022.

This screening will run for 1 hour and 44 minutes with no interval.

Established in 1992, through an agreement with the Federation of Entertainment Unions, NVAP was the first project of its kind in the UK. The archive now holds over 450 high-quality archival multi-camera recordings of live performance in Britain and continues to record and preserve productions for the national collection. The archive, launched with Richard Eyre’s production of Richard III starring Ian McKellen (National Theatre, 1992), features a vast range of stage performances with work by notable playwrights, directors, set designers, lighting designers and actors. It is an invaluable research tool to view and learn about significant British productions and captures and preserves moments of ephemeral performance history that otherwise would be lost. When V&A East opens in 2024 all the recordings will be available for the public to view in a brand-new facility.