Broadway in Benghazi: Comedy, Tragedy and Diplomatic Drama in Gaddafi's Libya

by Anna Marie Linvill

On the eve of the 2011 Arab Spring, Anna Linvill, an Arabic linguist and promising young singer, learns that her husband, Lt. Colonel Brian Linvill, has received orders to be the Defense Attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli, Libya. Leaving her dreams in long-term storage, Anna packs up her two young children and her musical scores and follows Brian into Gaddafi's Libya. In an historic setting of breathtaking natural beauty, Anna finds crumbling theaters, burned pianos, and a complex, creative civilization suffocating under decades of cruelty, fear, and civil neglect. Corruption is rife, Gaddafi's brutal henchmen and all-seeing eyes are everywhere, human trafficking and wife buying are commonplace, innocent looking teenage girls are daring dissidents, and there are no rules- until you cross the wrong person. In Gaddafi's Libya, it is every man for himself.

Upon arrival, Anna and Brian join The Tripoli Players, an amateur theater group known for their risky, red-line crossing, cream pie throwing, singing and dancing filled musicals lampooning the Gaddafi regime. When they are hired to put on a touring Broadway review for the U.S. Embassy, the Tripoli Players become part of a complex diplomatic drama. They are stunned when the 2011 Arab Spring sets revolutionary fires across the Middle East, eerily echoing one of their most daring comedies. After the fall of the Gaddafi regime, it looks like the good guys have won, but soon, comedy turns to tragedy. The U.S. Ambassador, Chris Stevens, is murdered and Libya descends into civil war and anarchy. Soon, Anna, Brian, and the Tripoli Players learn that offstage, there is a fine line between a villain and a hero, and a tyrant lives inside each and every one of us, waiting for his cue.

Praise for Broadway in Benghazi

“A smart, heady, fascinating memoir unlike any I have ever read, just as Anna is
a writer unlike any I have ever met—brilliant, lively, deeply informed and involved
in everything from music to world literature, international politics and history, to
grassroots arts programs, family life, and avant gardening. Hers is a warm, bright
spirit and a lively intellect. A natural born storyteller, Anna’s search for truth and
meaning reveals a world where absurdity reigns supreme. There are many stories to
tell, from Mama’s nighttime visitation by E.T., to Amina’s invincible spirit, Tanya’s
heartbreak at the O2 café, the bravery of Asma and Libya’s daring female activists,
and The Tripoli Players on tour in Benghazi . . . until violence and terror stop the show.

Broadway in Benghazi is a remarkably original and moving memoir.”

—Lee Smith, New York Times best-selling author

322 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 19, 2024

Reviews

[Claiborne]

Yes, I'm related to the author, but that doesn't bias my fascination with this book. It's a look behind the curtain at a life few of us know anything about: a "trailing spouse" to the diplomatic community in a foreign, poorly understood country. Anna is honest and open, philosophical and questioning, artistic and curious. Through her lovely vingettes, I learned a lot about the personal impact of political decisions, and the people who live these tumultuous, adventurous lives. I will share this book with others.

[Sam]

I thoroughly enjoyed Broadway in Benghazi. That is partially because it filled in the period of time immediately before my own arrival in Tripoli, but I think it has broader appeal. Diplomats travel in part to involve themselves in foreign policy, but also to immerse themselves in other cultures. Anna has many more insights than I into the lives of people in Libya because I was largely confined to a fortified embassy and official meetings. The people with whom she lived are fascinating and have at least as many lessons about foreign policy as the official business of the embassy. I would recommend this book to a lot of people, but in particular to people who are interested in foreign policy but not in reading a foreign policy book. I don't think a particular interest in Libya in necessary.

[Caroline]

Personal story of life in the army, especially for the “trailing spouse” when sent to some less than glamorous outposts. The effort to make a life for a family in Libya under Gaddafi. The connections to the local people are especially poignant in this time of change. It’s a very different view from normal headlines and is told with compassion and intelligence.