A story ‘Hotter Than Egypt’ at the DCPA

No matter where people nd themselves, marriage is a complicated bond. ere are always going to be challenges — nobody is immune.

e all-important marriage vows are put to the test in “Hotter an Egypt,” in which Middle East American Distinguished Playwright Award winner Yussef El Guindi follows an American couple as they explore a foreign culture.

e play runs at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts’ Kilstrom eatre, Speer Boulevard and Arapahoe Street, through Sunday, March 12. Most performances are at 7 p.m., but there are some 1:30 p.m. matinee shows on Sundays.

e show follows Jean (Kate MacCluggage) and Paul (Gareth Saxe), a middle-aged, Midwestern couple who are in Cairo to celebrate their 26th wedding anniversary. ere they meet a young Egyptian couple who serve as tour guides and witnesses to the airing out of long-held grievances.

Chris Coleman, artistic director and director of the play, answered some questions about the show, what audiences can expect and more:

Interview edited for brevity and clarity.

Tell me about the genesis of the show?

Yussef and I worked on an earlier show of his called “ reesome,” which we mounted in Portland, Seattle and eventually New York. So, we got to know each other well. He shared “Hotter an Egypt” with me the summer prior to the 2020 Colorado New Play Summit and I found it taut and mature and thought our audiences would respond well to it.

What drew you to the show?

I loved the collision of cultures, and how that changes both relationships in the play. I was particularly struck by Jean’s journey: this American tourist

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Coming Attractions

who has lived her life for others, who feels pretty repressed and shut down, nding that her soul is awakened in this new culture. It’s quite a beautiful exploration.

Tell me about the draw of tackling relatively new shows like this?

Clarke Reader

When you work on a new play, you’re in on the ground oor. You get to see idea move from rst spark, to messy middle, to editing, to full bloom. It’s quite wonderful to be in conversation with a writer, to try and uncover the truth of their vision, and to be their rst “audience.”

Tell me about bringing in elements of life in the Middle East to the show?

Lisa Orzolek, our set designer, has been inspired by Egyptian architecture, so you’ll de nitely get a wonderful visual sense of the world in the setting. David Molina, our composer, was likewise inspired by contemporary Egyptian composers who are mixing traditional sounds, with much more cutting-edge sounds. e instrumentation is deeply in uenced by the play’s geography.

What do you hope audiences who see “Hotter an Egypt” come away with?

A bit of themselves. A taste of newfound freedom. A sense of life from a di erent vantage point.

Get information and tickets at www. denvercenter.org/tickets-events/hotterthan-egypt/.

RedLine explores Gavitropics with resident artists

One of RedLine Contemporary Art Center’s biggest events has just launched - Gravitropic: RedLine’s newspaper. e show runs through Wednesday, March 1 at the center, 2350 Arapahoe St. in Denver.

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Annual Resident Artist Exhibition.

According to provided information, each year RedLine invites a visiting curator to develop an exhibition that ties together work created by artists and this year Christina Linden “conducted studio visits with resident artists to develop the curatorial vision for Gravitropic.” Find all the details for the show at www.redlineart.org/gravitropicresident-artist-exhibition.

Learn about the birds and the bees at DMNS ere certainly is an art to romance, but as the Denver Museum of Nature and Science is reminding people, there’s a science to it as well. Attendees can learn all about this at the museum’s Seductive Science event, held at 7 p.m. on ursday, Feb. 16. e 21-and-older event held at the museum, 2001 Colorado Blvd. in Denver, encourages guests to wear their best out ts to an evening that includes lessons on which animals mate for life, how attraction works in the animal kingdom, games and activities and more. Register at www.dmns.org/visit/ events-and-activities/.

Clarke’s Concert of the Week — Luv is 4Ever Tour at Mission Ballroom e Luv is 4Ever Tour will be stopping by Denver’s Mission Ballroom, 4242 Wynkoop St., at 8 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 10. It’s di cult to imagine a better opportunity to see two of hip-hop’s most exciting voices. Get tickets at www.axs. com.

As we stare down the barrel of another Valentine’s Day, it’s di cult to think of a more aptly named tour than JID and Smino’s co-headlining tour, Luv is 4Ever. Both artists released albums that ranked amongst the best of 2022, hiphop or otherwise. JID’s “ e Forever Story,” o ered listeners something both familiar and challenging, blending rap traditionalism with a modernist’s eye. Smino’s “Luv 4 Rent,” is a genre-bender that artfully incorporates elements of R&B and electronic into its sonic landscape.

Clarke Reader’s column on culture appears on a weekly basis. He can be reached at Clarke.Reader@hotmail.com.