Hanné 2026 in Dubai

Hanné 2026 in Dubai brings the Lebanese comedy written and directed by Elie Kamal to Meyana Theatre at Jumeirah Beach Hotel on Sunday 15 November. Starring Nada Abou Farhat with Salma Shalabi, Elie Njeim and Joyce Abou Jaoudé, the play is a fast-paced, witty Arabic comedy about life, doubt, deception and the beautiful chaos of trying to fix what is broken. Doors open at 7:30pm, the curtain rises at 8pm and the show runs for a tight 65 minutes.

The story

On a fateful night, an unidentified elderly woman with total memory loss is admitted to hospital. She has no name, no past and no clues. Determined to find out who she is, three very different people launch an investigation: a meticulous head nurse who is also a nun, an unmotivated police officer and an eager young trainee.

The inquiry soon spirals out of control. Secrets slip out, egos clash and the investigators’ own lives turn out to be far messier than the patient’s. By the end, as the official description puts it, the old woman’s broken foot may be the simplest thing in the room to fix. Expect family chaos, quick dialogue and a run of unexpected twists.

Laughter with something to say

Hanné opened in Beirut at Monnot Theatre on 30 April and 1 May, and the Beirut newspaper L’Orient Today summed it up as survival laughter. Beneath the farce, the play uses humour to look at the precariousness many Lebanese people live with today. Nada Abou Farhat plays two roles: Hanné, the woman who has lost her memory, and Aida, a woman who lost her savings in Lebanese banks. It is the second of Kamal’s plays to take on the loss of depositors’ money, after Akhdeh Kasra, mixing black comedy with moments of tragedy.

The production also had an unusual start. Early rehearsals took place at home, at a time when airstrikes and travel restrictions made normal rehearsal impossible, which adds weight to a comedy that is ultimately about holding on and carrying on.

Elie Kamal and Nada Abou Farhat

The play is the latest chapter in a long creative partnership. Elie Kamal and Nada Abou Farhat are married, met in 2012 while working on a film, and have worked together repeatedly since. She starred in his short film Tlaj (Snow) and his feature Tango of the Revolution, and Hanné is the third of his plays she has appeared in, after Landmine (Lghom Ardi) in 2018 and Akhdeh Kasra in 2025. Both were earlier part of the cast of Majnoun Yehki, directed by Lina Khoury and starring Ziad Rahbani.

Abou Farhat is a familiar face on Lebanese stage and screen, and her performance as the elderly Hanné is a true character role: L’Orient Today noted the wispy, white-streaked hair, the quavering voice and the cast on her leg. The broken foot has a personal echo: her one-woman show Break a Leg drew on a 2025 accident that left her in a cast for several months. She is joined in Dubai by Salma Shalabi, Elie Njeim and Joyce Abou Jaoudé.

The venue: Meyana Theatre, Jumeirah Beach Hotel

Meyana Theatre is inside Jumeirah Beach Hotel on the Umm Suqeim coast. The theatre bar opens an hour before the performance, and food and drink are allowed in the auditorium only if bought there, so the bar is the place for a pre-show drink. VIP tickets include a meet and greet with the cast.

Getting there

By car, take Sheikh Zayed Road to exit 39 towards Umm Suqeim Street, then follow the D63 Umm Suqeim Road ramp and continue along Umm Suqeim Street to the hotel. By bus, route 8 runs from Ibn Battuta Bus Station to the Wild Wadi 1 stop, a short walk away. Taxis and ride-hailing apps are easy alternatives.

Good to know

The play is strictly for ages 15 and over, and everyone needs a ticket. Latecomers are admitted at the duty manager’s discretion and there is strictly no readmission, so it pays to be seated before 8pm. Professional cameras and audio or video recorders are not allowed, and outside food and drink cannot be brought in. Seats chosen at booking cannot be exchanged or refunded, and tickets are valid only for this date and time, although the page also shows Platinumlist’s general resale banner.

The play is performed in Arabic, and the listing does not mention subtitles.

Who it suits

Hanné is a night for Arabic-speaking theatre lovers, and especially for Lebanese audiences in Dubai who will catch every reference. It suits couples and groups of friends who enjoy sharp dialogue with substance underneath, and at 65 minutes it fits neatly into a Sunday evening. For more stage nights, browse shows and theatre in Dubai and art and culture, or see things to do in November.