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Arabian Nights
Neil Duffield
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eBook - ePub
Arabian Nights
Neil Duffield
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About This Book
When Sheherazad is brought to the palace to be the Sultan's new bride, her very life depends upon her skill as a storyteller. She tells him tales of lost cities and buried treasure, of slave girls and robbers, of genies in bottles and evil sorcerers. But will it be enough to save her?
The stories of the Arabian Nights date back more than a thousand years and originate from Persia, India and Arabia. Neil Duffield has combined elements of many of them, keeping alive the excitement and humour to produce a show which will transport the audience into a world of myth and legend where fantasy and reality can never be separated.
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DramaIndex
LiteratureARABIAN NIGHTS
Commissioned and first produced by Action Transport Theatre Company, December 1997.
Re-writes for the Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds, January 2017.
Cast size flexible (minimum 13).
A small cast version of the script (minimum 5 actors) is available from the author.
Characters
Shahzaman (M) | |
Shahryar (M) | ā Shahzamanās younger brother |
Sheherazad (F) | |
Dunyazad (F) | ā Sheherazadās younger sister |
Wazir (M) | ā Father of Sheherazad and Dunyazad |
Kasim (M) | ā A rich merchant |
Ali (M) | ā Kasimās younger brother, a woodcutter |
Slave Merchant (F) | |
Marjiana (F) | ā A slave girl |
Jawan / Bashir (M) | ā A robber chief |
Healer (F) | |
Jinnee (made up from chorus) Thief (F) |
A chorus of storytelling nomads (M and F) become various things at various times throughout the play.
ACT ONE
The set is a collection of boxes, jars, sacks, blankets, carpets, cushions, etc which can be moved around and used to create various scenes and locations, as well as providing props and items of costume.
The feel should be of a group of nomads telling a story with the help of whatever is around them.
Music in. Into song.
NOMADS
Here is the story of Sinbad the Sailor
Of Duban the Doctor and Tariq the Tailor
The mouse and the weasel, the bull and the ass
The prince and the ogress, the City of Brass
Be on your guard for the Queen of the Jinn
Terror rides out when she saddles the wind
As one story ends, anotherās begun
And so it goes on and on
For a thousand nights and one.
The tale of the caliph from Samarkand
The city of gold buried under the sand
Burning bushes and singing trees
Bands of robbers and dens of thieves
Iāll tell you a tale of a horse that could fly
That carried a princess up to the sky
As one story ends anotherās begun
And so it goes on and on
For a thousand nights and one.
Iāll tell you stories of ravens and bones
Of plagues of poison and raining stones
Oceans of red, a blood-ridden sky
The queen of serpents with pearls in her eyes
A jinnee created from smokeless flame
Who comes from nowhere to steal your name
As one story ends anotherās begun
And so it goes on and on
For a thousand nights and one.
Song ends. Music continues under. One of the nomads (the one who will play Sheherazad) ceremonially opens the story-telling.
NOMAD
May the legends of old be lessons to the people of our time, so that a man may see those things which befell others beside himself, and wonder.
Music fades out. The nomads take turns to tell the story.
NOMAD
It is related, revered friends, that long ago in the tide and current of ancient time, there lived two brothers ā both sultans at the height of their wealth and splendour.
NOMAD
Their names wereā¦ Shahzaman
One of them takes on the role of Shahzaman.
NOMAD
ā¦ and Shahryar.
Another becomes Shahryar. The nomads know the story well and delight in telling it. Plenty of fun and physical comedy.
NOMAD
The younger brother, Shahryar, was about to be married.
NOMAD
So he summoned a messenger.
One of them becomes the messenger.
NOMAD
And sent word inviting Shahzaman to the wedding.
Shahryar hands a note to the messenger.
NOMAD
The messenger journeys over lofty mountains and endless deserts to deliver his message.
We see the journey. Messenger delivers the note to Shahzaman.
SHAHZAMAN
Tell my brother I am most honoured to accept.
NOMAD
Shahzaman assembled a great caravan of camelsā¦
Nomads form themselves into the caravan.
NOMAD
ā¦ and set off for the kingdom of his brother.
The caravan sets off in stately fashion. Plenty of fun.
SHAHZAMAN
Caravanā¦ halt!
Comic halt.
NOMAD
They hadnāt travelled far, when Shahzaman realised he had left behind his brotherās wedding present.
NOMAD
The great caravan of camels turned around and hurried home.
Comic chaos as they do so.
NOMAD
But when he arrived back at the palace what should Shahzaman find butā¦
We see an image of two lovers embracing.
NOMAD
His wife!
NOMAD
In the arms of another man!
NOMAD
Shahzamanās face darkened and his soul filled with fury.
NOMAD
He drew his swordā¦
NOMAD
and with one whispering strokeā¦
Shahzaman swings the sword.
NOMAD
ā¦ sliced off both their heads!
Gasp of horror from the nomads.
NOMAD
Then, with his heart a pit of hatred,
NOMAD
he returned to his great caravan of camels
NOMAD
and set off once more ...