The Band's Visit, "Omar Sharif"

In this moving excerpt from Tony Shalhoub's exquisite 2018 film The Band's Visit, Katrina Lenk portrays an Israeli woman who forms a shaky friendship with the Egyptian musician who is in town. She hardly gets up from her seat during this intense conversation, and he doesn't sing at all. Nevertheless, it is hypnotic in every manner, from Lenk's longing vocals and swaying arms to the way the rest of the once-drab café, lit in blue, becomes immersed into the song in the song's last moments before softly ebbing away again. The world seems to swoon as the camera glides in to capture these moments.

The Band's Visit and "Omar Sharif" was the clear musical triumph. Three of the four acting awards went to it: lead actor Tony Shalhoub, lead actress Katrina Lenk, and featured actor Ari'el Stachel, who discussed what it meant to him as a Middle Eastern actor to be portraying a Middle Eastern character. It won best musical and took home three of the four acting honors. One of only four Broadway productions in history, The Band's Visit won the "Big Six" unofficial Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Book, Best Score, Best Actor in a Musical, Best Actress in a Musical, and Best Direction of a Musical. It received the Best Musical Theater Album Grammy Award for 2019.

Year: 2018