Beirut made him laugh every night, while debts piled up on him and diseases exhausted his thin body. Shushu, or Hassan Aladdin (1939–1975), was not just a comedy star. He made the theater a part of the daily life of the Lebanese, and made laughter a way to express their concerns and crises.
In 1965 he founded the National Theater with Nizar Mikati, and embarked on an artistic and financial adventure to establish a permanent troupe that would present regular plays to a wide audience. Although the hall was full of spectators, he had to borrow money from lenders at exorbitant interest rates to ensure the continuation of his project.
From "Inside and Outside" to "Ah, Our Country", Shoshu created a theatrical experience that stuck in the memory of Beirut, to the extent that people began to know the theater by its name rather than its official title. He died at the age of thirty-six, but his voice remains present in the Lebanese memory.
In his book "Shoshu Le Zichron" (Alforat Publications), Fars Joachim, who worked alongside him, goes behind the scenes at that stage, revealing details about the artist's life, plays and crises, and correcting errors reported in books and studies on the history of Lebanese theater.
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Rauf Kubeysi Pares Joachim brings Shushu and Zaker back to Beirut!