'1001' reasons
Latest rendering of the ancient ‘Arabian Nights’ tale is beautifully built on myth, legend and history
By Jana J. Monji 05/29/2008
When one thinks of “One Thousand and One Nights,” better known in English as “The Arabian Nights,” one probably recalls various versions of Sinbad the Sailor, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves or, more recently, the Disney version of Aladdin. However, only a few years ago, when I revisited these stories, did I discover that the tales of my childhood were but sanitized versions of the originals. It makes sense. Otherwise how would one keep the interest of a shah for 1001 nights?
In its West Coast premiere at the Theatre@Boston Court, “1001” by Jason Grote is an engrossing, thought-provoking experience that delivers the PG-13 version of these stories.
“What are any of us but a collection of stories?” Scheherazade asks. And who would know better than the woman who told stories to save her life and the lives of other women? Grote gives us stories, some with a distinctive ending and others that merge into another.
There are adult topics such as incest; sexual intercourse is tastefully enacted with no nudity. Grote doesn’t give us Aladdin, although the genie (Amol Shah as the Djinn) makes an appearance in a small but pivotal role. Nor do we hear much about Sinbad (Shah). Instead, Grote focuses on the relationship between Shahriyar (John Sloan) and Scheherazade (Monika Jolly), the king and his final but very clever bride. Their story is intertwined with the modern-day story of a kind, but sometimes socially awkward intellectual Jewish American, Alan (Sloan), and the Muslim Arab woman, Dahna (Jolly), he falls in love with and is living with in New York City.
Under the confident direction of Michael Michetti, we are guided through a myriad of scenes and situations, some realistic and some fantastic, with a dreamlike merging of fantasy and reality. “The Arabian Nights” are, after all, adventures framed by a love story and here we have two love stories — one happy and the other poignantly tragic. In between, we meet humorous characters and face socio-political questions, including a hilarious interlude with Gustave Flaubert (Sam Younis).
Michetti astutely guides us through our journey with dead-on timing, subtly shifting us between mundane everyday life, epic and dangerous incidents and the surreal situations of folk and fairy tales. As Shahriyar, Sloan manages to be endearing even in his barbaric daily ritual of marrying, deflowering and executing his brides. Grote’s script gives us a man who is less than commanding, often at a loss for the right word and instead prone to malapropisms. Here, Sloan strikes the right note as a man born to privilege and severely out of touch with his people, making choices for reasons he can’t clearly recall. In this case, power hasn’t corrupted so much as made an absent-minded boy-child willfully and thoughtlessly destructive.
As Scheherazade, Jolly exudes heroic confidence, but as Dahna, she is a confused, though strong-willed woman straddling tradition and her new American life. Sloan’s Alan is the one certain of his love, filled with heroic if not foolhardy courage and with the lesser power within the relationship. Dahna flirts via IM with a man based in London her parents would find more suitable. At first, Alan doesn’t know about this little betrayal and when it is revealed he is not enraged, but rather reasonable and hurt.
Performed without intermission, “1001” is a beautiful story building on myth, legend and history. Michetti and his talented ensemble work magic with the material.
“1001” continues until June 8 at the Theatre@Boston Court, 70 N. Mentor Ave., Pasadena. Show times are 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays, plus a 2 p.m. Sunday matinee. Call (626) 683-6883 or visit www.BostonCourt.org.
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