A scene from the Christmas play "Shou Carlos ahsan menneh" at Theatre Monnot. (Credit: ZZ/L'OLJ)
"Shou Carlos ahsan menneh?" A Christmas play treat
This is the perfect play for the holiday season. “Shou Carlos ahsan menneh?” is a Christmas romantic comedy starring Raja, a handsome serial heartbreaker working in the music industry, and Johnny, his lifelong friend, less favored by nature, a jack-of-all-trades actor and lovable freeloader.
The curtain rises on Raja (Wissam Saliba), freshly dumped by his latest flame and wallowing in the lament of an abandoned singer. Fed up with his whining, Johnny (Abdel Rahim al-Awji) challenges him to detox from women by avoiding them entirely for a week. If he fails, he must pay a hefty fine.
Written by Walid al-Yaziji, adapted for the stage by Josyane Boulos and Awji, directed by Lina Abiad and performed by the duo alongside Jennifer Yammine, who also showcases her beautiful singing voice, is packed with jokes, playful nods and musical interludes.
You leave lighthearted and smiling. A play for anyone who believes comedy is nothing to be ashamed of.
Running at Theatre Monnot through Dec. 30.
Betty Taoutel brings back “Mono-Pause”
Fresh off receiving an honorary award last month from the Lebanese Film Festival in Halifax for her contribution to promoting Lebanese culture, Betty Taoutel is back in Lebanon.
Following the success of Mono-Pause in Canada — where it played to a sold-out audience of more than 750 spectators at Montreal’s Festival du Monde Arabe — she has decided to bring the play back to the Lebanese stage for the holidays.
The actress, author and director reunites with her Beirut audience at Theatre Tournesol from Dec. 19 to Jan. 4. Over just nine performances, Taoutel, joined onstage by Dr. Jacques Mokhbat, once again embodies a “mono-paused” woman shaken by what she has endured in Lebanon in recent years, oscillating between fishnet stockings and high heels, and pajamas with slippers.
If you have not yet seen this tragicomedy, now is the time to book.
Dec. 19 to Jan. 4 at Theatre Tournesol.
Flowers emerging from the concrete in Nada Sehnaoui’s studio
Known for work driven by a rebellious impulse to preserve the memory of Lebanon’s conflicts and disasters, Nada Sehnaoui returns with a new series born organically from her experience of the Aug. 4, 2020, port explosion.
Inspired by shards of glass and concrete she kept finding embedded in unexpected corners of her devastated Mar Mikhael studio, she “sculpted” thickly layered canvases from which flowers boldly emerge. The floral aesthetic paradoxically recalls the bundles used in the early hours to clear blast debris.
Curated by Saleh Barakat and hosted at Kensho, a multidisciplinary space in Mar Mikhael, the series Flowers Blossomed Out of Broken Concrete enters into dialogue with two other bodies of Sehnaoui’s work.
Loin des mauvaises nouvelles du monde (2018–2022) counters relentless violence with visions of a peaceful world rendered in vibrant colors on small white canvases. How Many, How Many More (2015–2019) responds to regional wars through delicate brushstrokes evoking resilience.
Through Jan. 11, 2026. Tuesday to Sunday, noon to 11 p.m.
Air and light in the colors of Ribal Molaeb
Is it an attempt to push back against the darkness of the times? Many artists today seem drawn to light — and this is particularly true of Ribal Molaeb. His abstract compositions, in medium and large formats, are on display at Saleh Barakat Gallery in Clemenceau.
Quintessentially atmospheric, his oil-on-canvas works unfold subtle, interwoven tones that radiate an ethereal light. They evoke the sky at different times of day as seen from his native Baysour (Aley), in the mountains: dawn, midday brilliance, sunset and the slow fading of afternoon.
A painter and musician — a violist whose talent was discovered by Daniel Barenboim — Molaeb transposes onto canvas a full spectrum of airy hues, composing a contemplative world rooted in an ageless landscape whose cycles remain the only constant.
“Becoming Light,” by Ribal Molaeb, runs through Jan. 2, 2026.
Julie Bou Farah: Clouds, cacti and memory
Looking to revisit the whimsical world of childhood imagination? Head to Janine Rubeiz Gallery, where Julie Bou Farah’s canvases reflect the poetic freshness of her gaze.
At 60, the painter and professor at ALBA and Universite Libanaise remains faithful to her distinctive style: an apparent childlike innocence that conceals existential questioning and, at times, a critical view of current events. In the 30 acrylic and mixed-media works presented under the title ICloud, at least one of three recurring symbols appears: cloud, bird or cactus.
These motifs relate to her exploration of memory — fragments that, like clouds, are imperfect and alive, carrying both presence and absence. Memories flutter like birds’ wings or hide beneath cactus spines, fragile yet resilient, “protective and wounding, like memory itself,” as the artist notes. Once again, Bou Farah proves that naive art is anything but simplistic.
“ICloud,” by Julie Bou Farah, runs through Jan. 3, 2026.
Design pieces — and support for the Beirut Art Center
The collective Lebanese design exhibition returns to the Beirut Art Center. The nonprofit venue, which relies on sales of designer pieces to fund its annual public program of talks, performances and film screenings, presents a carefully curated selection by 30 Lebanese designers.
The lineup includes established names such as Karen Chekerdjian, Rabih Kayrouz, Bokja, Carlo Massoud, Karim Chaya, May Daouk and Najla al-Zein, alongside emerging designers including Stephanie Moussallem, Shaha Raphael, Tessa Sakhi, Karine Letayef and newcomer David Sfeir, whose delicate porcelain lamps and vases are produced using 3D printing.
From painted sideboards and sculptural jewelry to small wooden or stone furniture, amber marble trays, patchwork tapestries and colorful glassware, there is something for every taste and budget.
Beirut Art Center, Jisr al-Wati. Through Dec. 31, noon to 7 p.m., except Saturdays noon to 5 p.m.
Discover all upcoming cultural events in Lebanon on our partner's calendar, L'Agenda Culturel.
