ARABIAN NIGHTS

Humanities 1301 Event PresentationGayle JacksonARABIAN NIGHTS1

DescriptionArabian Nights is a play by Mary Zimmerman.

Performed at Sam Houston State UniversityIn the Showcase Theatre .

The play opens with the King having his Queen and her lover put to death. He believes that all women are unfaithful so he commands that every night he will marry a virgin and that she will die at dawn before she can betray him.This goes on for some time until there are no more virgins left except for the Viziers two young daughters. The King commands him to bring his oldest daughter and to come for her in the morning with her burial shroud. Scheherazade is brought by her father but she tells him not to worry, that she has a plan. After the wedding before they retire her younger sister pleas with the King to allow her sister to tell her one last story before she dies. The King agrees, but he becomes so wrapped up in the exquisite way that nSchherezade tells the story he is unprepared when she stops. He asks why she has stopped and she tells him it is morning and her time to and that her father is waiting. The King wants to hear the ending of the story so he tells her father to come back tomorrow. The next night she finishes her story and as the King compliments her on the story her young sister states that it is okay but not as good as another story she has told. The King bids her to tell the next story, which is again not finished before daylight.Ut not the same 5This continues on, with her stories teaching the King about forgiveness, justice and love. By the end of the play he has learned to love Scheherezade and spares her life and she remains his Queen.Analysis

The play is performed with a shallow background and heaps of pillows on the floor on the left and right sides, in front of the audience. When not performing, this is where the actors sit and lay, able to watch the performance and interact when needed.7

InterpretationThe play is performed in two acts. The first story is of the Madman and Perfect Love. I felt this is the best because without him realizing it at first, it is the beginning of him learning to love and trust again. With the story of the jesters wife, with her many lovers, he learns about forgiveness. The story of the woman who out thinks all the wise sages, he learns that women are important. There is a fart joke thrown in for humor. And a story of an empty bag, that depicts how far greedy people will go.

All the stories are performed by actors and actresses who with the addition of a hat, scarf, cape, cane or prop can become someone else for the story being told. Some of the stories had some adult humor and some were risqu but over all they are timeless when compared to todays society. Evaluation

In my opinion the play was an astounding success, as you can see from the signs on the ticket window.This was the first play where I got to see the whole cast on the stage/floor and enjoyed watching them watch the other actors perform. The use of the stage and the props were interesting in that everything visible had a purpose. I liked the ending and the audience participation in clapping for the best story. It had special meaning to me because my son was an actor in the play, he was the Madman and also filled in other roles. Plus there were seniors that I know and this was their last performance.

I liked the way the call board was set up with the book below and the photos above showing that they were part of the stories.

As you can see by the program it takes many people to produce a play, countless rehearsals and long hours of learning lines, places and prompts. I really enjoyed the time I spent watching the play, it took me to another time and place and for a few brief hours I was entertained by some very talented actors.Works Cited :http://theaccidentalthespian.blogspot.com/2011/01/arabian-nights-written-and-directed-by.htmlhttp://www.shsu.edu/dotAsset/bf77ba97-5ded-4131-9198-cd95611b2e49.jpghttp://houstonianonline.com/2015/03/25/review-arabian-nights-brings-color-to-shsu-theatre/