THEATRE PREVIEW

OCTOBER 2025 | Volume 256

 

BLUE iRADIO Brings Stephen Adly Guirgis’ In Arabia We’d All Be Kings to Vancouver

BLUE iRADIO is proud to present IN ARABIA WE’D ALL BE KINGS, the gritty, razor-sharp play by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Stephen Adly Guirgis, directed by Emilio Salituro.

Set in the turbulent streets of 1990s Hell’s Kitchen, this raw and unflinching drama dives into the lives of hustlers, dreamers, and the forgotten, caught in the tidal wave of gentrification. Guirgis’ trademark mix of dark humour and aching humanity makes In Arabia a must-see for theatre lovers craving truth on stage.

The production opens November 13, 2025 at the Waterfront Theatre on Granville Island and runs November 13 thru 16 & 18 thru 22. All shows at 8:00 pm.

About the Author
Stephen Adly Guirgis (b. 1965, Kearny, NJ) is a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, screenwriter, director, and actor known for his raw, poetic dialogue and unflinching exploration of urban life. A former co-artistic director of New York’s LAByrinth Theater Company, Guirgis has penned notable works such as Between Riverside and Crazy (Pulitzer Prize for Drama, 2015), Jesus Hopped the ’A’ Train, Our Lady of 121st Street, and The Motherf**ker with the Hat.

Here, Guirgis turns his gaze back to Hell’s Kitchen in the late 1990s—a neighborhood on the verge of gentrification. In Arabia We’d All Be Kings premiered in 1999 with LAByrinth Theater Company and centers on a fractured community grappling with addiction, despair, and the erosion of hope under Giuliani-era redevelopment

“These are the voices I wanted to hear on stage because they never get heard anywhere else.”

Guirgis’s work gives voice to the marginalized—characters whose stories are often overlooked. If this play makes you laugh, wince, or feel uneasy, that’s the point: it’s a mirror held up to those who live on society’s edge.

Currently, Guirgis is adapting the 1975 film Dog Day Afternoon for the stage—a project set for a Broadway debut in spring 2026, starring Jon Bernthal and Ebon Moss-Bachrach.

***Suggested minimum age is 16 years old. Please note that this play contains mature themes, violence, derogatory terms, sexual content and language that may not be appropriate for all audiences. Viewer Discretion is Advised.****

 

 

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