THE RUINS
The Ruins
•••
The Ruins •••
THE RUINS by George Abud world premieres at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis
September 19 - October 12, 2025
Two master musicians meet in an empty space armed with only a cello, an oud and some old books of poetry. The strangers trade jabs and musical virtuosity until they’re stunned to learn that in a few days, they’ll both be dead. Faced with their untimely end, they become obsessed with a question: Were their lives enough? Over the course of eight movements of blistering music and tender verse, they struggle to find an answer before time runs out.
Days from death, two musicians grapple with life in Guthrie’s ‘Ruins’
"After five years, the Guthrie Theater has reopened its Dowling Studio, and has chosen a mystical and moving meditation on the meaning and quality of life as the first work to reanimate the space...
“The Ruins,” which opened in a music-infused premiere Sunday, is a captivating one-act that asks big questions. Like, if you had three or four days to live, how would you spend them? And what is the most meaningful thing that you could do right now?
The result is thrilling in the well-used Dowling, where the combination of the two instruments sounds fresh and revelatory. It’s as if these two strangers were seeing in each other an unexpected mirror.
But there’s also enlightenment by juxtaposition. Specifically, Abud quotes passages and aphorisms from Kahlil Gibran’s “The Prophet” like holy text. They land with depth and precision, and perfectly summarize human characteristics.
“The Ruins,” ultimately, is about presence. For while the characters are living out their last hours, they show no fear for what’s to come, or regret for a past that cannot be changed. Instead, they live in the tense present, exulting in noise and quiet, in light and a serene kind of transcendence. May our everyday be such a blessing."
— Rohan Preston, Minnesota Star Tribune
THE RUINS: A PLAY THROUGH MUSIC at Guthrie Theater
"The Guthrie theater is no stranger to fostering new works but the latest world premiere is one that certainly is destined to be one of the most memorable. Reintroducing audiences to the Dowling Studio, George Abud's playwriting debut, is one of the most poignant and honest works about assessing our lives…
The Ruins tells the story of two unnamed individuals who come together in one room to wait out their inevitable death which is mere days away. Both musicians, one a cellist and the other a master of the Oud, they begin to share their life’s beliefs and philosophies through music. While they have a range of differences in their assessment of the lives they have lived, there is one constant. Music and the power that it holds.
Set in fictional reality where people are aware that their death is nearing, Abud has created such a vibrant world without needing any exposition to set the stage. It is clear from the moment it begins what kind of place the characters are inhabiting.
Abud’s script is not just full of philosophy and music, it is extremely funny and full of warmth. His understanding of character development in a small amount of time is extremely impressive. We know these characters and their motivations from the first few minutes and wait, and hope that they will come to be somewhat friends, if not more.
Abud’s script is full of lyrical poetry that simply transcends everyday dialogue and gives the audience a new way to appreciate the spoken word.
George Abud's piece isn’t just a remarkable piece of theater, it is a visceral experience that will stick with you long after the curtain falls. It signals a triumphant return to the Dowling Studio and it is sure to usher in a slew of just as affecting pieces of art in the near future."
— Joe Sarafolean, BroadwayWorld
THE RUINS at Guthrie Theater
"For the first time since the pandemic, Guthrie Theater is doing a show in the Dowling Studio. Even more exciting is that the piece they have chosen to bring back this intimate black box space is nothing short of exquisite... The world premiere new play with music The Ruins, by Broadway actor George Abud... is simply everything I want theater to be: original, philosophical, musical, funny, eye-opening, thought-provoking, moving, intimate, epic, and profound. No doubt my words will come up short in attempting to describe why this piece is so special...
In this two-hander, they do more than simply play music, they live and breathe and speak music. So begins one long beautiful conversation, taking place over their remaining few days. They discuss life and death and everything in between, quoting from their books, playing each other their favorite songs (her the loveliest saddest song by early singer-songwriter Connie Converse, him an epic Arabic song depicting a love story), tossing back and forth ideas about what this whole thing called life (and death) means. It's profound and revelatory and wondrous.
If you're looking for theater that is original, unique, out-of-the-box, and will make your heart ache and your mind soar, do not miss The Ruins. We're lucky to have this special show here at the Guthrie Theater first before it moves on to hopefully a long life."
— Jill Schafer, Cherry and Spoon