A glorious return to the antique (spiegeltent) mirror tent, for a sumptuous performance by Creation Theatre. Amongst velvet drapes, glittering lights, mirrors and ornately carved panelling, tonight was the night for storytelling, and stories well told.
Tales from 1001 Arabian Nights featured the always brilliant actress Amanda Haberland playing Shahrazad, the new, and 1001’s queen to King Shahrayar. I’ve seen her before, playing Helena in the magical production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and more recently this last summer as Nerissa in the challenging and thought-provoking Merchant of Venice, and as the outstanding Miss Crow in last winter’s Snow Queen. With exotic dancing, and a taste of the east, from the very beginning we were plunged into a world of stories told through silhouettes, physical theatre, music and dance, puppetry and the occasional blood, guts and gore, it was every minute fresh and inventive, and spectacular.
