Arabian Nights
Theatre of Widdershins
Most stories coming out of Baghdad at the moment are not really suitable for kids, but this show is different. Arabian Nights celebrates a time when Scheherazade told the Persian king a different tale every night for 1001 nights.
Three of Scheherazade’s stories are compellingly recounted in this puppet show, lovingly created and performed by Andy Lawrence.
The smell of incense hangs heavy in the air. Lawrence sits in a corner calmly playing a drum – which he invites children to tap before the show begins.
We then meet a penniless, bearded trader ("it's Santa" a child cheered), a gullible man who mistreats his donkey Mustafa Carrot, and a lazy fisherman – OK, the last one’s probably not Baghdad-based.
The tales are all beautifully told, although the main attraction here is the puppets themselves. Big, goggley eyes and elaborate costumes mean that children remain engrossed throughout and ensure messages about animal cruelty and staying positive despite adversity are absorbed.
An hour was perhaps too long for the youngest in the audience. But even they will take home happy memories of stories that celebrate a part of the world that has been a war zone since before they were born.
The smell of incense hangs heavy in the air. Lawrence sits in a corner calmly playing a drum – which he invites children to tap before the show begins.
We then meet a penniless, bearded trader ("it's Santa" a child cheered), a gullible man who mistreats his donkey Mustafa Carrot, and a lazy fisherman – OK, the last one’s probably not Baghdad-based.
The tales are all beautifully told, although the main attraction here is the puppets themselves. Big, goggley eyes and elaborate costumes mean that children remain engrossed throughout and ensure messages about animal cruelty and staying positive despite adversity are absorbed.
An hour was perhaps too long for the youngest in the audience. But even they will take home happy memories of stories that celebrate a part of the world that has been a war zone since before they were born.
Published online at 13:25 on Tuesday 17 August 2010
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