The departure of Romeo Lahoud... the journey of the owner of the "permanent theater" who entered the court of the leaders

Yesterday, the giant of the Lebanese theater, Romeo Lahoud, passed away at the age of 92, after a distinguished career and a long history of brilliance and successes in art.

Romeo Lahoud began his actual professional career in 1964 when he prepared a lyrical operetta at the request of the Baalbek Festivals Association within the framework of its “Lebanon Nights” program. In 1969, he performed at the Olympia Theater in Paris.

“Lahoud” is the first to launch the permanent theater in Lebanon through the huge show “Mawalal”, which lasted for eleven months, and he is the only Arab director who was invited to the coronation ceremony of the Shah of Iran and was invited by the Belgian royal court to present a party at the “Theater of Fine Arts”. in Brussels.

Among the most famous works of the theater star, he presented in Baalbek "The Waterfall" and "The Citadel", and among the most prominent of his other plays "Bint al-Jabal", "Your Name in my Heart", "Yasmine" and others.

The late star Sabah cooperated with Lahoud in several works, including in Baalbek and the "Olympia" theater in Paris, while Lahoud was behind the launch of Salwa Al-Qatrib in the early seventies of the twentieth century.

"The giant of Lebanese art", "the genius of the Lebanese song" and "one of the pillars of Baalbek", are all titles given to him by art makers in the Arab world, and his name has been associated since the sixties of the twentieth century with the "Lebanese Nights" in its international festivals.

The late director has an extension in his descendants, the artists, of the roots of the art that emanated from him. His niece, the artist Aline Lahoud, and his nephew, the actor Issam Merheb, and his brother, the famous Lebanese producer Nahi Lahoud.

And the artists mourned Romeo, as the singer Najwa Karam said, "The school in morals and the school in theatrical art and the Lebanese song will remain in our memories."

Singer Elissa tweeted, "I am honored to have known you and sang from your works and experienced your creativity," while Carole Samaha wrote, "You left us and went on a far path...Your works will remain a new sun," inspired by the lyrics of one of the most famous songs he composed for Salwa Al Qatrib.

As for Nancy Ajram, she described the departure of Romeo Lahoud as "a great loss for Lebanon and the Lebanese art."

Actress Cyrine Abdel Nour commented, "Creators die in the flesh, so that they may live in memory for a lifetime."