At the end of June 2026, Rumi: The Musical arrives in Dubai, an international stage production that brings the figure of Jalāl ad-Dīn Rūmī to the stage through the language of contemporary musical theatre. Already presented in London, the show belongs to the rare group of productions that have introduced a major figure of Persian and Sufi culture to Western stages, avoiding a conventional biographical approach in favour of a narrative focused on relationships and inner transformation. At the heart of the dramaturgy lies the encounter between Rūmī and Shams of Tabriz, an event that marks a radical rupture in the poet’s life. The story unfolds through emotional tensions rather than chronology, tracing Rūmī’s shift from respected scholar to a poetic voice shaped by mystical experience. The relationship between the two figures is staged as a destabilising bond, capable of generating devotion, conflict and misunderstanding. The production is the result of a creative team with solid experience in international musical theatre and is built around a score that intertwines Middle Eastern sonorities with Western narrative structures. The songs do not function as isolated set pieces, but as narrative devices that accompany the characters’ transformations, sustaining a form of writing that is more introspective than overtly spectacular. The London debut helped define the show’s identity, placing it within a theatrical context accustomed to unconventional re-readings of historical and literary subjects. The involvement of performers drawn from the West End circuit reinforced the project’s international profile, distinguishing it as a production able to engage with different audiences and traditions. The Dubai engagement fits into an already established trajectory, with Rumi: The Musical circulating among cultural capitals through a proposal that avoids exoticism and spiritual simplification. The focus remains on relationship, conflict and transformation, elements that allow the story to move beyond its historical setting and speak directly to the present.
