Turkey's First Off-Broadway-Style Production

Turkish actress Ayca Varlier took to the stage in Turkey’s first off-Broadway-style musical production, Tahir and Zühre, an Anatolian answer to William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.

- Zeynep Ardag

Turkey experienced its first off-Broadway-style of musical staging on December 19 at Zorlu’s Performing Arts Center, with Turkish actress Ayça Varlıer starring in the Anatolian folk story of Tahir and Zühre, a legendary love story famous in Turkey and nearby countries such as Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. The tale tells the story of childhood sweethearts torn apart when Tahir was banished from the kingdom. Varlıer, who played Zühre, was joined by Barbaros Büyükakkan, who played Tahir.

Varlıer and family, led by her mother Duygu, a former ballerina, decided five years ago to create an authentic Turkish musical and produce it as a family project. The project began to come together, with author Şefik Onat writing the libretto of the musical and Varlıer’s brother-in-law, Eylem Pelit, composing the songs and writing the score.