Hasan Al-Alaress, affectionately known to millions as Shoshu, rose to become a legendary Lebanese comedian who founded the National Theater in Beirut during the 1960s before passing away in 1975 at the young age of 36 amid mounting debts and a fractured nation.
Fares Yakim Documents Shoshu's Career and Life Struggles
- Fares Yakim, a close collaborator who wrote Shoshu’s most famous plays, published a new book titled Shoshu in Memory via Dar Al-Furat, documenting the star’s decade-long run and correcting historical inaccuracies.
- Operating out of a converted cinema in downtown Beirut, Shoshu’s National Theater drew massive crowds through popular Lebanese-dialect comedies before the civil war abruptly halted productions.
- Despite immense theatrical success and drawing audiences, Shoshu wrestled with crippling financial debts from loan sharks and health ailments, ultimately passing away on November 2, 1975.
The Rise of Beirut’s National Theater
In the early 1960s, Beirut stood as a vibrant regional center for finance, publishing, and culture. Near Martyrs’ Square in the commercial downtown district known as “Nass Al-Balad,” the National Theater opened its doors just steps away from the city center.
On November 11, 1965, the curtain rose on the theater’s inaugural production, Shoshu Bek in Tyre, adapted by Nizar Mneimneh from Eugène Labiche’s French farce A Journey Trip of Mr. Perrichon. The production ran for 21 weeks, captivating audiences with its lavish staging.
The 450-seat hall operated year-round, moving its performances to Lebanon’s various regions during the summer months. Over time, these cheerful productions evolved into a public platform addressing popular grievances and public opinion.
From Trainee to Stage Icon
Born in Beirut in 1939 to a father from Shouf and a mother from Baalbek, Hasan Al-Alaress lost his father at the age of seven and was raised by his mother. He showed an early passion for acting, performing in comedy sketches, impersonating public figures, and singing for children.
Renowned artist Mohammad Chamel spotted his talent during an amateur scout performance and brought him onto a children’s television program on Télé Liban et du Proche-Orient. Chamel coined the nickname “Shoshu” and cast him in popular radio and television serials like Ya Mudir, Shari’ Al-Ezz, and Ya Sabr Ayoub.
A rift emerged when Shoshu married Chamel’s daughter, Fatima, without her father’s blessing. Cut off from his mentor and left temporarily unemployed, Shoshu convinced the owner of the Shahrazad cinema to lease the space, allowing him and director Nizar Mneimneh to establish their permanent theatrical home.
| Production / Milestone | Year / Duration | Key Personnel |
|---|---|---|
| Shoshu Bek in Tyre | Nov 1965 (21 Weeks) | Nizar Mneimneh (Director) |
| Cinematic Debut: Shoshu and the Million | 1962 | Mohammad Chamel |
Yakim Collaborated with Shoshu During His Theatrical Success
Fares Yakim crossed paths with Shoshu three years after the theater opened, initially arriving as a young theater critic recently graduated from Egypt. Yakim maintained a daily professional and personal relationship with the comedian for a decade, penning his most enduring scripts for stage, screen, and radio until Shoshu’s final performances in June 1975.
Director Roger Assaf remarked on the comedian’s unique cultural footprint, noting during a run of the play Ah Ya Baladna that Shoshu commanded the only dedicated theatrical audience in Lebanon, reaching over 70,000 spectators. Beyond his stage work, Shoshu starred in eight feature films, aiming for broader regional fame akin to Egyptian comedy icons like Ismail Yassine and Fouad El Mohandes.
Despite packed houses, the theater’s founding required heavy borrowing from private moneylenders charging exorbitant interest rates.
Tragic End of an Era
While returning from Amman with his troupe, Shoshu suffered a fatal cardiac arrest on November 2, 1975.
Reflecting on the loss, Fares Yakim observed in Shoshu in Memory, “The hero died, the theater burned down, and the city collapsed.” Fifty years after his passing, Yakim’s newly published volume seeks to set the historical record straight, preserving the legacy of a performer who kept an entire nation laughing while carrying deep private sorrows.
