When it comes to the art of storytelling, there is none better than Scheherazade, and the visually stunning performance of The Arabian Nights written and directed by Mary Zimmerman performed by the Lookingglass Theatre Company in Chicago kept us enthralled from beginning to end.

The Lookingglass Theatre which opened in 2003 in the historic Water Tower Water Works building is an intimate venue that was the perfect setting for The Arabian Nights written and directed by Mary Zimmerman, which was adapted from The Book of the Thousand and One Nights and One Night translated by Powys Mathers.

Sitting in the front row on June 6, 2009, with the play unfolding before us, provided us with the unique perspective of almost becoming a part of the performance instead of merely being observers. Performed in a theatre in the round setting, the floor level stage was richly dressed by Dan Ostling with opulent carpets and hanging lamps, with gorgeous costumes by Mara Blumenfield. The play featured the talented Ryan Artzburger as Shahryar and Louise Lamson as Scheherazade in the lead roles with an excellent ensemble cast rounding out the performance.

The Arabian Nights or One Thousand Nights and One Night, is the exciting tale of Scheherazade who is to be married for one night to the nightmarish king, Shahryar, who will kill her on her wedding night before daybreak as he has done with each of his wives before her ever since his first wife betrayed him. Knowing her fate, Scheherazade and her sister, Dunyazade, played by Heidi Stillman, devise an elaborate plan to have her sister accompany her to the palace, and just before she leaves, Dunyazade will ask Scheherazade to please tell her one last story to remember her by, as she has always done every night before she went to sleep. Their plan is that Scheherazade will tell Dunyazade and Shahryar a story that will be so interesting, and so fascinating, and so long, that she will not have finished the story when morning breaks, with the hope that Shahryar will be so captivated by the story that he will let Scheherazade live for another night so that he can hear the end of the story.

Scheherazade asks Shahryar for permission to tell Dunyazade one last story before she leaves, which he grants, and thus begins the story of The Arabian Nights or One Thousand Nights and One Night. Each night Scheherazade's stories become more engrossing, and more fanciful, captivating Shahryar completely, and always morning breaks before she finishes, with Shahryar allowing her to live yet another night so that he might hear the end of the story.

Scheherazade takes Shahryar and the audience on an exciting and emotional journey with her creative stories that are performed to perfection by the cast, which are sometimes humorous, sometimes sad, sometimes educational, and are always so entrancing that at the end of the play, we were left with wanting just one more story. The Arabian Nights runs until July 12, 2009.

Cast of The Arabian Nights:    

The Lookingglass Theatre Box Office is open Tuesday from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm, Wednesday - Friday from 10:00 am - 6:00 pm (or until curtain), Saturday from 12:00 pm - 6:00 pm (or until curtain), and Sunday from 12:00 pm - Curtain (only during performance runs).

Please visit the Lookingglass Theatre website: www.LookingglassTheatre.com for their calendar of upcoming performances.

Lookingglass Theatre in the Water Tower Water Works
Theatre and Box Office
821 North Michigan Avenue
Chicago, Illinois 60611, United States
Telephone:       +1-312-337-0665
www.LookingglassTheatre.org 

Read about Chicago in the Destinations, Hotels and Resorts, Restaurants, Spas, and Chef's Recipes sections.  

© July 2009. Luxury Experience. www.LuxuryExperience.com. All rights reserved.