Theatre Review: King Gilgamesh & The Man of the Wild

Soulpepper Theatre and Tria Theatre Co-production, July 25 – August 6, 2023

by Lise Watson

King Gilgamesh & The Man of the Wild is an extraordinary production which takes musical theatre to a whole new level. Created by Seth Bockley, Jesse Lavercombe and Ahmed Moneka, it is a beautiful collaboration which combines music and theatre, ancient text and contemporary realities, and drama and comedy in unique ways. Running for 2 hours without a break, it doesn’t miss a beat and always engages the audience.

The play has been in the works for several years and developed out a friendship between the multi-talented Iraqi-born Ahmed Moneka and American actor Jesse Lavercombe. This friendship is mirrored in the ancient “Epic of Gilgamesh”, orginally written on clay tablets as far back as the 18^th century BC, with King Gilgamesh of Uruk and Enkidu, the wild man. Together they journey to the Cedar Forest with deadly consequences. This foundational literature is seamlessly interspersed with a contemporary story of Jesse and Ahmed meeting in a café in Canada. Ahmed Moneka was exiled from Iraq because of a performance as a gay character in a film, and his family were forced to flee to Turkey. The story is partially autobiographical, and partly based on traditions. We are challenged to think about the trials faced by artists in other parts of the world, different approaches to sexuality and the commercial glorification of war at the expense of human suffering in contemporary popular culture.

The brilliant up-tempo music in this performance is provided by members of Toronto-based Moneka Arabic Jazz, headed by Ahmed Moneka. The stunning voice of Sudanese-born Waleed Abdulhamid punctuates the musical program and complements Ahmed’s style and sensibilities perfectly. Musical director/bandleader and multi-instrumentalist, Demetrios Petsalakis, vocalist and bass player, Waleed Abdulhamid, violinist Jessica Deutsch, saxophonist Selcuk Suna, and drummer Max Sennitt, are joined by Jesse on piano and Ahmed on vocals, with glorious results. The audience, laughs, claps and sways to the music while contemplating the important messages and exemplary performances of the passionate cast.

This creative team is one to watch. They represent the future of democratic cross-cultural collaboration and celebrate the complexities of cultural diversity in the modern world. Bravo to Soulpepper and Tria for giving space to these incredible voices.