The Arabian Nights
At
Lookingglass Theatre Company
(Lookingglass Theatre Company Website)
Water Tower Water Works
821 N. Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60611
312.337.0665
Adapted By
Mary Zimmerman
From The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night
Translated by Powys Mathers
Through August 30, 2009

Mary Zimmerman: Writer and Director
David Catlin: Artistic Director
Rachel E. Kraft: Executive Director
Philip R. Smith: Producing Artistic Director
Heidi Stillman: Artistic Director of New Work
Dan Ostling: Scenic Design
Mara Blumenfeld: Costume Design
T.J. Gerckens: Lighting Design
Andre Pluess: Composition & Sound Design
Alexandra Blunt: Director of Production
Sara Gmitter: Production Stage Manager
Oscar Isberian Rugs: Carpets
Cathy Taylor: Public Relations

Featuring:
Ryan Artzburger, Louise Lamson, Heidi Stillman,
Barzin Akhavan, Louis Tucci, Usman Ally,
Nicole Shalhoub, Emjoy Gavino, Allen Gilmore,
Andrew White, David Catlin, Susaan Jamshidi,
Ramiz Monsef, Ronnie Malley, Minita Gandhi

Susan Weinrebe
July 2, 2009

That Scheherezade was some gal! Not only did she prevent King Shahryar from cutting her throat 1001 times on the morning of the night before, she also saved her younger sister’s life, invented eight years of spellbinding tales, changed her murderous husband’s heart, secretly gave birth to three children, and held the audience in rapt attention for the two hour performance of The Arabian Nights.

Creating the next best thing to actually being in a Baghdad bazaar of old, the small, square stage of Lookingglass Theatre was styled as an exotic and sumptuous place to delight the senses. Jewel-toned carpets lay deeply piled on the stage. Pierced hanging lamps swayed from the rafters. Drum, flute, stringed instruments, and ululating voices called in foreign keys. Silk, brocades, linen, and embellished motifs on costumes, traditional to ancient times, revealed wealth and seduction untold. By all this design craft and more, we were immediately transported to a Middle Eastern realm long, long ago. David Catlin’s artistic direction put the audience in a treasure chest of mystical possibilities, before the first line was spoken.

The Arabian Nights, a series of intertwined tales, formed the warp upon which magical theater was woven. Known as an ensemble cast, the actors played their multiple parts in such synergistic harmony that a multitude of plot and character shifts flowed easily, belying the intricacies of Scheherezade’s tales.

Portraying Scheherezade’s grieving father, Allen Gilmore aged over the course of the play until he stood as a palsied and infirm husk of a man, who daily waited to receive his daughter’s corpse for burial. He was a lisping jester, a bested wise man, and a chameleon changing with unobtrusive skill to fit each of his multiple roles.

Because Nicole Shalhoub is beautiful and has a range of gestures that could teach a serpent how to move, she perfectly exuded the chemistry her parts required. But there was more to her than that. Even as she rolled across the floor with her lover, she projected a subtext of irony and humor and power held in check.

Scoring one of the most comic turns of the play, Andrew White, possibly the least ethnic- looking actor of the cast, surmounted his physical appearance with an extended hilarious pantomime. As a king who had the misfortune to have a gas attack, he suffered the indignity of other actors lifting the skirt of his costume to make flatulence noises and in this, his timing and expressions created some of the funniest moments of the play.

Delightfully learned and delightfully raunchy, Susaan Jamshidi played both a female religious scholar besting Koranic wise men at their scripture games and a cuckolding butcher. As the latter, she was demonically randy and as the former, relentlessly conquering, her deeply beautiful voice used to its greatest effect.

And that brings up some interesting themes. Arabian Nights presents one woman after another, who triumphs over the cultural restrictions intended to dominate her gender. It depicts women who are capable of guiding men towards change. And it shows that intelligence can trump dogma.

Though audience-pleasing, the only moments that broke with the enchantment of the play were when several cast members, as called for in the script, ad-libbed the contents of a small bag. When I’m immersed in the atmosphere of a play, I am not a fan of anachronisms, or dropping character, even if it is scripted. It is almost an insult to the audience to include references to inept presidents or a swindling financier as these draw expected responses. Riffs on current events break the magical spell of the play and should be saved for separate performances that feature improvisation.

That being said, there is also a caveat for families who are thinking of bringing younger children to see Arabian Nights. Several tales revolve around adultery and lovers and double entendres abound. Be prepared to think sharp if a younger child asks why the man and woman are rolling around on the floor.

This most recent telling of a brave woman’s cleverness is a deliciously spiced tale. Given Mary Zimmerman’s love of epic, fantasy and presentation, The Arabian Nights is a play that needs to be seen several times to take it all in.

Arabian Nights Full Cast
in Lookingglass Theatre Company's
"Arabian Nights"
Courtesy of Sean Williams

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Ryan Artzburger and Louise Lamson
in Lookingglass Theatre Company's
"Arabian Nights"
Courtesy of Sean Williams

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Susaan Jamshidi and Cast
in Lookingglass Theatre Company's
"Arabian Nights"
Courtesy of Sean Williams

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Louise Lamson and Ryan Artzburger
in Lookingglass Theatre Company's
"Arabian Nights"
Courtesy of Sean Williams

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Louise Lamson, Susaan Jamshidi,
Minita Gandhi, Nicole Shalhoub
in Lookingglass Theatre Company's
"Arabian Nights"
Courtesy of Sean Williams

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For more information, contact Dr. Roberta E. Zlokower at zlokower@bestweb.net