The sounds of a student jamming out on a bongo is complimented by soothing Arabic music as I entered the preview show for the Cultural Studies production of Arabian Night. Outside the stage doors of the Nozhem Theatre in Gzowski College at Trent University some of the actors were running lines, while director Diana Manole did her rounds making sure everything was in place for a smooth dress rehearsal of the play.
I took my seat and got comfortable, trying to quickly reading through the program to get a sense of the production as the lights were beginning to dim. I had a great feeling about the play when my eyes skimmed the phrase ADULT CONTENT, plastered across the cover. This certainly should be noted, as the play does not shy away from orgasmic moans, silhouette sex scenes and minor stripping - but all for the integrity of art of course!
This play itself is a well-known post-modern script written by the playwright Roland Schimmelppfenning, whose last name is as hard to say, as it is to fully comprehend his play. The play revolves around five characters in different rooms within an apartment building that experiences an “erotic urban fantasy”. As one of the main characters sleeps, she unknowingly lures the other characters into her nightmares resulting in obscure events, such as a man being trapped in a brandy bottle.
The Trent Cultural Studies production has instead reframes the play as a video game in an Internet café, where the characters step in and out of virtual reality, beginning in the café, where they each “log on” and progress through the cyber world. The production is visually pleasing in its minimalist stage directed setting. The production uses a sparse black stage with white dividers/screens that were used for multiple purposes. The screens are used as walls, sometimes to project video images and setting directly upon them, but they also act as a see-through screen in which the persons silhouette was created using a light shining from behind, casting a shadow of their body movements to capture some of the more risqué scenes.
The use of a simple setting left all the focus on the actors who had no elaborate setting to hide behind, leaving all of the actors on stage during the entire production. This left the actors to be committed to their roles during the whole show.
Each actor used expressive theatrics to bring their characters to life, and managed to make even the seemingly dry scenes entertaining. The collaboration of great directing skills, actors, and a committed stage and production crew was relevant when watching the preview for this play, before and after they completed the show.
Although one may get lost in the complex plot, the show itself is visually pleasing and entertaining. Last year’s production of the show sold out each of the three nights it was put on. I myself was unable to squeeze into the theatre, so be sure to arrive early or email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. to reserve your tickets!
Go out and enjoy a night at the theatre allowing yourself to escape into this postmodern “part fairy tail, part noir thriller” cyber world adaptation of Arabian Night.
