Elodie Vidal reviews a magical Christmas show at Tricycle Theatre, as fun as it is thoughtful.
The holiday season being all about imagination, it's not surprising that two leading London venues have shows inspired by One Thousand and One Nights. Unlike the Soho Theatre’s production, which deals in political commentary, the Tricycle Theatre’s Arabian Nights is a fun family production that enchants and entertains.
After being betrayed by his wife, King Shahryar (Sandy Grierson) takes his revenge on women by marrying a new virgin every night, and executing her come morning. When the supply of girls becomes scarce, he demands to marry Scheherezade (Adura Onashile). With only her wit as protection, Scheherezade tries to delay her death by telling stories. Her tales of deceit, romance and wisdom last a thousand and one nights…
The tales have many moral lessons to convey, but the strength of writer Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation is to focus on entertainment. Her text is a delightful mix of romance, mystery, and sustained comedy. One story denounces the evil of mockery, as it forces a man into exile – but also makes a gigantic fart the source of his shame.
In the tradition of the original One Thousand and One Nights, Zimmerman handles different layers of narrative simultaneously. In particular, the second tale goes from a farcical story of marital infidelity into three sub-tales of adventure and intrigue. The last story of the evening is one of loss and shame, leaving the audience with the memory of a fun but thoughtful show.
It helps that Zimmerman’s text is in such skilful hands: the ensemble, to whom Scheherezade delegates her storytelling power. Their spectacular entrance and enduring enthusiasm really make this show. They in turn get solid support from the creative team who turn them into imaginary figures: Lu Kemp's direction and Ann Yee's choreography have them move in complete disorder, like characters out of a feverish dream; Take It Easy Hospital’s original music gives them a hilarious and delirious speech; while Richard Howell’s lighting makes their world completely magical.
This association of talent is most remarkable at the end of the play, when movement, speech, light and music come together in a theatrical montage sequence, conveying the richness of storytelling in a short but powerful scene.
The story of Scheherezade and King Shahryar is just as entertaining as the rowdy web of story spun around them. When other versions let the tales overshadow their initial audience, Zimmerman and Kemp leave the two characters on stage, exchanging subtle looks while the stories are acted out around them so we grow as interested in their relationship as they are in the current tale. Sandy Grierson's gradual change in expression and body language takes his character from cruelty to sympathy so that by the time King Shahryar joins the storytelling, he has won the audience over, making his appearance as Aziz feel like a victory.
The Tricycle’s Arabian Nights is a delightful production from a skilful writer, multi-faceted cast and an accomplished creative team who conjure up a magical world to get lost in. 
The Arabian Nights runs at Tricycle Theatre until 12th January 2013
Image by Tristram Kenton
More on Spoonfed
Constellations at Duke of York's Theatre
Arab Nights - Myth, Politics and Dictators at Soho Theatre
Kiss Me Kate at The Old Vic
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