The Mecca Tales at Chicago Dramatists

Chicago Sun Times - Recommended

"...They are on a package tour, and they are cranky, because things are not going quite as promised in the brochure. Of course it’s not easy to be one of the millions of pilgrims who travel to Mecca, Saudi Arabia for the Hajj, the annual Islamic pilgrimage considered a mandatory religious duty for Muslims at least once in their lifetime. There is a lot to contend with — the crowds, the heat, the bathrooms, the exhaustion, the anxiety about getting lost or losing sight of one’s bus, the clash of personalities in the group."

Chicago Reader - Highly Recommended

"...The play questions feminine orientation from angles both physical and religious. As Muslims, the women must face Mecca when praying, but spiritually too, they constrict themselves with regard to men, children, pain, and acceptance. This subtle and beautiful play, financed in part by a grant from the Chicago Community Trust, marks Chicago Dramatists' first production in more than a year. With work like this, may the funds keep rolling in."

Chicago Stage and Screen - Highly Recommended

"...In a world and time that encourages us to look with distrust at differences and to fear the unknown, Malik's The Mecca Tales offers a model for recognizing and celebrating humanity precisely because of the differences, and it does so in an entertaining and moving tapestry of stories. The Hajj is the backdrop for the women's stories, and faith helps guide their spiritual journeys, but this play reaches beyond Islam. Besides offering a perspective on Islam that is too rarely seen in the media, the connections that these disparate women form as they recognize and create commonality through their stories show the hope for kindred and healing in world. True, the play avoids some of the hard questions that linger within and just beyond the scope of the tales that are told, and even within the world of the play there are some circumstances that defy credulity. Overall, however, The Mecca Tales reminds us how much there is to celebrate in this world, even as some people try to destroy the will to do so."