Publisher's Synopsis
Professor Moreh sets out to prove that the pre-modern Arab world had a tradition of live theatrical performance, not just of shadow plays, and that this tradition contributed to the formation of modern Arabic theatre. Uncovering a wealth of evidence combed from Hebrew, Syriac, classical and Arabic sources, he shows that early theatre was on the whole, low-brow, vulgar and slapstick, although its social setting could be high-class.;Much of the material discussed is unknown to modern scholars, and casts light not just on the development of drama but also on the social structure and behaviour of Arabic society between the 9th and 19th centuries.
