When wise and just King Shahrayar (Alex Jackson) is betrayed by his beloved wife (Catherine Turnbull), he loses all his love for women, proclaiming that there are no good women anywhere on Earth. Consumed by rage, he decides to marry one woman every night, and then, in the morning, to send each and every one of them to the headsman. For one thousand days and nights this continues, until the king’s people are on the brink of revolt. Enter Shahrazad (Eiléanór O'Halloran), the clever, beautiful daughter of the king’s vizier (Sean Rowley), who loves to read stories. She convinces her father to marry her to the king, against his better judgement, for she has a plan to save all the women in the city. With the help of her younger sister, Dunyazad (Razan Al-Sharkawi), Shahrazad plots to save her own life, as well as transform Shahrayar: on the first night, Dunyazad asks her older sister to tell a story, which Shahrazad gladly does. But, come morning, the story is not finished. Shahrayar absolutely must know how it ends, and permits his wife to live for one more night, to finish the story. When the first story is done, Shahrazad convinces the king to let her tell another one, saying it will make him smile. In this way, Shahrazad keeps herself alive, but what will happen when she runs out of stories?
In Sacred Heart’s production, there are six of the original thousand, enchanting fables told by Shahrazad to her husband: stories about ghouls, sorceresses, breaking wind, thieves, talking birds, cunning schemes, and much more.
Directed by Andrew Aven Gillis, with no small amount of help from stage manager Claire Bennet, the play has been fine-tuned to the very brink of perfection. Antony Kahil and Alex Gillis are the tech crew. Volunteers Meredith Wilson and Cathleen Niedermayer, the costume manufacturers, have made everything from double-sided capes to ghoul costumes. Another volunteer, Annette Comeau, has promptly gathered and created all manner of props.
Eiléanór O'Halloran perfectly portrays the cunning and composed Shahrazad, working in tandem with Alex Jackson, who accurately depicts the vicious and conflicted king. The whole cast of 27 students, grade eight through twelve, most with multiple roles, succeed in bringing this wonderful, exotic story to life.
Opening night for this fantastic drama is Wednesday, in Sacred Heart’s Little Theatre, 5820 Spring Garden Road in Halifax and it will run until Friday, starting at 7:00 PM on all nights. Tickets, $10 for adults, and $8 for students and seniors, can be purchased at the door or by calling 422-4459.
