In A Clear Concise Arabic Tongue is a collection of 10 of Yussef El Guindi's one-acts and monologues. Here are reviews of some of them:
"PICKING UP THE SCENT is a heart-breaking opener about life in a war zone. Archeologist Hisham discovers a lost perfume bottle. His wife Nisrin, a poet, begs him not to pursue its history further, what with the risk of the falling bombs and military advances. What follows is a stripped-down, actor en actor tear jerker. These are glorious moments: virtually no set, just black curtains, and a few actors giving it their all. It's a zinger of a start."
Clinton Stark, Stark Insider
"IN THE TYRANT...excellence is established for the entire evening... The play itself is brilliant, dark, challenging and thoroughly believable... At the end of this "short" play I felt like I'd spent a month with this man, and that the experience had entirely changed the way that I look at myself and the world. Pretty much the definition of a 'complete', fully-realized play."
Jerry Kraft, SeattleActor.com
"Last night I saw one of the best short political plays I've ever seen, a fifteen-minute one-person play called SO UNLIKE ME about a veteran peace activist...wrestling with despair, bleakness, powerlessness, the appeal of violence, the strengths and limits of non-violence and a bunch of other tough issues. It's funny, eloquent, disturbing and would make a great addition to some kind of cultural program that peace groups are putting on."
Paul Loeb (author of Soul of a Citizen ) in a letter to a peace activist
"THE SNIPER...humor-filled but honest and riveting reflection on the deep psychological roots of militarism."
Robert Avila, San Francisco Bay Guardian
"THE MONOLOGIST SUFFER HER MONOLOGUE is a witty and vibrant piece."
Jeffrey R Smith, Jeffrey R Smith Reviews