Following a sell out run at The Bush theatre, London and at Edinburgh Fringe Festival, Watermans is delighted to present, Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Qur’an, a charming story of a friendship that transcends age, race and religion. Set in the Red Light district of Paris during the 1960s, it tells the story of a 13-year-old Jewish boy, Mo-Mo (Moses for short) who has been abandoned by his mother after he was born and is now neglected by father. He finds solace in stealing the housekeeping money to fund his visits to prostitutes.

Mo-mo begins shoplift regularly from the local grocery store and justifies his actions as it is run by an ‘old Arab’, Monsieur Ibrahim. However, an unlikely friendship develops between the two as the older man is tolerant to Mo-mo’s pilfering and points out he is not an ‘Arab’ but a ‘Muslim’. As their relationship develops the boy and man undertake a journey of discovery and mutual respect that takes them from Paris to the wild regions of Anatolia.

This 70 minute two hander features, Sam Dastor, as the sagacious Monsieur Ibrahim and James Daley, as the young Moses. Told with gentle humour, this piece is a plea for love and tolerance.

Monsieur Ibrahim and the Flowers of the Qur’an is one of four novellas by leading contemporary French playwright, Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt, dealing with the tales of childhood and spirituality. It has been performed in 13 countries, published in 12 languages and was also an award-winning film.

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