Om Kulthoum will never be replaced, said Asser Abdellah Nafady, an avid fan of Om Kulthoum Back on Stage, the highly popular puppet show held monthly at the Sawy Culture Wheel in honor of the singing diva. Following the tradition of her concerts, the puppet show features Kulthoum's songs on the first Thursday of every month. Accompanied by his wife, his son and his daughter-in-law, Nafady says his family makes it a point to drive from Heliopolis to Zamalek every month. Mrs Nafady says that besides reviving their memories, the show has also introduced the magic of experiencing Kulthoum live to her children who never got to see her onstage. The level of the poetry in Om Kulthoum's songs and the emotion in her renditions carry a "special taste, says Nafady. In comparison to her, contemporary music "doesn't express our oriental identity and heritage. Details of Kulthoum's marionette help revive the legend. With a bun adorning her hair, an evening gown with a formidable brooch, and her signature handkerchief, Om Kulthoum (and her puppet) sings with the heart, and the hands. Syllables are stretched out, words repeated like brushstrokes, enumerating emotions until they form a mood. As Mohamed El-Sawy, director of the Sawy Culture Wheel and lead puppeteer, shares with the audience, Om Kulthoum "makes you love 'love' itself. "Ya Zalemny (Ye Who Do Me Injustice) opens the evening, a song written by poet Ahmed Rami, famed to have been among the multitudes that adored the diva, and were lucky enough to have collaborated with her. Handkerchief in her right hand, Om Kulthoum - or her puppet with red lips - bemoans the injustice of love, hands rising and falling as if in prayer. Musicians with instruments are also depicted as puppets, no more than one foot tall. Om Kulthoum, of equal stature, sits in their midst. More than three decades after her death, the audience at Sawy nevertheless applaud the singer as she rises. While the first song centers on lament, the second expresses overflowing love, "El-Hob Kollo (All the Love). With gushing affection, she describes seeing the person towards whom she feels an overwhelming love for, "With all the love of the world I went and ran to you. In fact, so defining is this love, that it justifies her very existence, "What was I before I saw you? And why was I even living, my darling? The music animates the puppets; the breath of the flute-player makes the wooden hand tremble, and violins take on a feverish movement when the tempo picks up; the tambourine player raises his instrument. The puppets are changed according to the song, puppeteer Ahmed Naeem told Daily News Egypt. In the second act, violinists are replaced with an accordionist, a keyboardist, and a guitar player. "It is not too difficult to conduct a marionette, Naeem said, adding that it requires a "musical ear. A team of 20 is required to conduct a show on the magnitude of Om Kulthoum Back on Stage. Each person takes one to two puppets, and take breaks from pulling the strings. The voice brought to life by the puppeteer pulls equally at many heartstrings, and the audience too moves, waving and syncing to the diva's song. Despite having the considerably large attendance, Naeem said the turnout at the performance was smaller than usual. The audience usually consists of enthusiasts, "Most of them are old, said Naeem, "people who had seen her face to face on stage. As ever, Om Kulthoum is presented in a new dress, and sings different songs. The mood, piqued with longing and nostalgia, is always the same. Om Kulthoum Back on Stage is performed on the first Thursday of every month at Sawy Culture Wheel's Wisdom Hall.
