Israeli Film Star Sasson Gabay Joins Broadway's Tony-Winning The Band's Visit

Israeli film star Sasson Gabay joined the cast of The Band's Visit, and TheaterMania was on hand to capture his curtain call.

Gabay played Lieutenant-colonel Tawfiq Zacharya in Eran Kolirin's 2007 film The Band's Visit, and is now making his Broadway debut in the same role. The Tony-winning musical, written by David Yazbek and Itamar Moses, and directed by David Cromer, tells the story of the Alexandria Ceremonial Police Band, which lands in Israel and is inadvertently sent in the wrong direction. Soon, the band finds itself in a small settlement in the heart of the Negev desert with no transportation going out until morning and no hotel in sight.

The cast currently features 2018 Tony winners Katrina Lenk and Ari'el Stachel, John Cariani, George Abud, Etai Benson, Adam Kantor, Andrew Polk, Bill Army, Rachel Prather, Jonathan Raviv, Sharone Sayegh, Kristen Sieh, Alok Tewari, Layan Elwazani, Pomme Koch, Ahmad Maksoud, Madison Micucci, and James Rana. Musicians include Andrea Grody, Alexandra Eckhardt, Ossama Farouk, Philip Mayer, Sam Sadigursky, Jeff Theiss, Harvey Valdes, and Garo Yellin.

The Band's Visit's world premiere opened to critical acclaim at the Atlantic Theater Company on December 8, 2016. The show's original Broadway cast recording was released by Ghostlight Records and is available digitally and in stores everywhere. It is the winner of 10 Tony Awards.