Arabian Nights E-Book

Dominic Cooke

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2012

Beschreibung

A simple and delightfully inventive re-telling of the stories from the Arabian Nights. It is wedding night in the palace of King Shahrayar. By morning, the new Queen Shahrazad is to be put to death like all the young brides before her. But she has one gift that could save her – the gift of storytelling. With her mischievous imagination, the young Queen spins her dazzling array of tales and characters. On her side are Ali Baba, Es-Sindibad the Sailor and Princess Parizade – adventurers in strange and magical worlds populated by giant beasts, talking birds, devilish ghouls and crafty thieves. But will her silver-tongued stories be enough to enchant her husband and save her life? This revised edition of Dominic Cooke's Arabian Nights was published alongside the Royal Shakespeare Company's production in 2009.

Leseprobe

Contents

Title Page

Original Production

Dedication

Characters

Note on Cast

Prologue

Act One

Act Two

Epilogue

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

This adaptation of Arabian Nights was first performed at the Young Vic on 16 November 1998. A new production was performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company at The Courtyard Theatre, Stratford-Upon-Avon, on 5 December 2009, with the following cast:

Nathalie Armin

Paul Bhattacharjee

Silas Carson

Daniel Cerqueira

Natalie Dew

Ayesha Dharker

Marcus Fernando

Kiran Landa

Jane Leaney

Kevork Malikyan

Adura Onashile

Chetna Pandya

Chris Ryman

Amit Shah

Nav Sidhu

Simon Trinder

Harvey Virdi

Rene Zagger

Director

Dominic Cooke

Designer

Georgia McGuinness

Lighting Designer

Hugh Vanstone

Sound Designer

Paul Arditti

Composer

Gary Yershon

Movement Director

Liz Ranken

For Aoife

Characters

THE COURT

SHAHRAZAD

DINARZAD

VIZIER

SHAHRAYAR

QUEEN

JESTER

SLAVE

HEADSMAN

THE STORY OF ALI BABA

ALI BABA

CAPTAIN

ALI’S WIFE

KASIM’S WIFE

KASIM

MARJANAH

DRUGGIST

BABA MUSTAPHA

ALI’S SON

THE STORY OF THE LITTLE BEGGAR

TAILOR

BEGGAR

TAILOR’S WIFE

MAID

DOCTOR

DOCTOR’S WIFE

STEWARD

MERCHANT

WATCHMAN

KING

CHIEF OF POLICE

HANGMAN

THE STORY OF ES-SINDIBAD THE SAILOR

PORTER

PAGE

ES-SINDIBAD

MERCHANT

MERCHANT 2

MERCHANT 3

HOW ABU HASSAN BROKE WIND

ABU HASSAN

MARRIAGE BROKER

UNCLE

AUNT

PREACHER

FAKIR

FRIEND

FOE

BRIDE

GIRL

MOTHER

THE STORY OF THE WIFE WHO WOULDN’T EAT

HAROUN AL-RASHID

SIDI 1

SIDI 2

AMINA

GHOUL

BAKER

CUSTOMER 1

CUSTOMER 2

SORCERESS

THE STORY OF THE ENVIOUS SISTERS

KING

KING’S VIZIER

ELDEST SISTER

SECOND SISTER

YOUNGEST SISTER

BAHMAN

STEWARD

STEWARD’S WIFE

PERVIZ

PARIZADE

WOMAN

DERVISH

STONES

TALKING BIRD

HEAD COOK

Also various extras

Note on the text

There should be no blackouts. The action of the play should be continuous.

Note on the setting

An empty space with two areas: one for storytelling and one for listening.

Note on the cast

The original production called for a company of nine. The parts could happily be played by the same or more actors and distributed differently. It is essential that Shahrayar is listening, and not participating in the first few stories, and preferable that there is some resonance between the casting of ‘The Story of the Envious Sisters’ and the frame story. Suggested doubling for a company of nine could be:

Shahrayar / Ghoul / King (in ‘The Story of the Envious Sisters’)

Vizier / Captain / Doctor / Es-Sindibad / Haroun Al-Rashid / King’s Vizier

Slave / Ali Baba / Beggar / Sidi 2 / Baker / Perviz

Headsman / Baba Mustapha / Steward (in ‘The Story of the Little Beggar) / Abu Hassan / Steward (in ‘The Story of the Envious Sisters’)

Kasim / Ali Baba’s Son / Tailor / Watchman / Porter / Sidi 1 / Head Cook / Bahman

Shahrazad / Chief of Police / Sorceress / Youngest Sister / Talking Bird

Dinarzad / Kasim’s Wife / Tailor’s Wife / Hangman / Page / Customer 2 / Parizade

Ali’s Wife / Doctor’s Wife / King (in ‘The Story of the Little Beggar’) / Customer 1 / Second Sister

Queen / Marjanah / Merchant (in ‘The Story of the Little Beggar’) / Amina / Eldest Sister

Prologue

SHAHRAZAD. Long long ago, in a faraway land, there lived a clever young girl called Shahrazad.

DINARZAD. She lived with her little sister who was called Dinarzad...

VIZIER. and her father, who was the Vizier, the Chief Adviser to the King.

The Vizier loved both his daughters very much.

A family grouping.

DINARZAD. Dinarzad was as kind, loyal and true as any girl her age...

SHAHRAZAD. but Shahrazad was courageous, shrewd and bright, well beyond her years.

And there was nothing she liked better than to read stories.

DINARZAD. Stories of enchanted caves...

SHAHRAZAD. flesh-eating ghouls...

DINARZAD. talking birds...

SHAHRAZAD. flying men.