Miri Mesika performs "Omer Sharif" from the musical "Visit of the Orchestra" (DonmarWarehouse)
A huge honor: Miri Masika and Alon Abutbol are nominated for the Olivier Award - the most prestigious award for theater in England - in the category of best actress and best actor for their roles in the musical "The Orchestra's Visit".
The show itself is nominated for three other awards, including the best musical award.
"This is a very big personal professional achievement for me," said the excited Miri Masika.
"It is a great privilege to take part in a show that presents a moving and deep piece of Israeli reality. Especially these days and the harsh and anti-Israeli atmosphere that exists in London. A show about Israelis with two Israeli main actors is a double and redoubled victory. There is no one happier than me."
Miri Mesika in the play (Photo: Marc Brenner)
Last October, the musical "The Orchestra's Visit" premiered in London, based on Eran Kolirin's film of the same name from 2007.
Alon Abutbol stepped into the shoes of Sasson Gabbai in the role of Tawfik, the reclusive Egyptian orchestra conductor who comes to Israel with his men, and Miri Mesika played Dina, the owner of the warm-hearted cafe who lives in the development town they happened upon, a role played by Ronit Elkabats in the film version.
The musical premiered on Off-Broadway in New York in 2016, and the following year won ten Tony Awards, including for Best Musical and for the actors in the lead roles, Tony Shalhoub ("The Wonderful Mrs. Maisel") and Katrina Lenk ("Ozark").
The play was praised by critics in the UK.
"Michael Longhurst's European premiere features a cosmopolitan cast, with a standout vocal performance by Israeli star Miri Masika," wrote the Evening Standard, which gave the show 4 stars.
"The production is slow in some of the early moments, hectic in others,
The Guardian also gave the show 4 stars, praising the singer's singing in particular.
"A stunning performance by the Israeli performer Miri Masika, each song reveals new textures in her voice, from prickly iron to quivering velvet."
Time Out London also gave 4 stars, praising the delicacy of the musical and the story.
About the actors, the critic wrote: "These are not big flashy roles: everyone on stage actually has a small part that they perform a stamp, and it feels as if the sum is greater than its parts, a living snapshot of a temporary community."
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The orchestra's visit
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