Arabian Nights can certainly be called an “interesting” production. With five stories within the main storyline – and sub stories within those stories – it can be confusing at times to figure out exactly what plotline you are currently trying to follow. All of the stories trace back to one main plot: the soldier General Schahriar, permanently heartbroken from an event that happened years ago, marries women for a night and executes them in the morning. Sheherezade is one of the women who volunteered to marry the General, and is faced with the challenge of saving herself and her sister from death by telling incredible stories. From “The Merchant and the Genie” to “The Sultan and the Doctor”, every one of the stories is magical and exciting to watch. Bearing in mind that almost the entire cast is made up of children aged 11-14, the standard of acting is outstanding. One standout performer in particular is Ellen Evans as “Sindbad the Sailor”, who seems to have a natural stage presence: she owns the stage with the level of confidence expected from a professional, experienced actor.
A spellbinding performance that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout.
There are several laugh-out-loud moments during the performance as well as serious parts; the way that the cast make fun of their lack of members by naming one of the stories “Aliya Baba and the Not-Quite Forty Thieves” is both heart-warming and amusing. The whole performance was also a lovely dose of nostalgia for the teenage and adult members of the audience who were brought back to their younger days when they were told the stories by their own parents and saw the DVDs of these stories later on. Particularly with Aladdin, which I personally haven’t read or watched for several years and had forgotten the plot, it was very nice to remember exactly what happened in the story and certainly brought me back to my childhood, or (as much as I despise this phrase) “the good old days”.
A spellbinding performance that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout and raises philosophical questions that are difficult to find an answer to, Arabian Nights is definitely a highlight of IYAF 2013.