“Shahrazad” is measured, elliptical, and oblique. The bookish aspect of al-Hakim’s work presented a tremendous challenge to the cast and crew of “Shahrazad,” especially since al-Hakim’s brand of intellectualism contains few flashy verbal pyrotechnics or self-congratulatory cultural references. His highly philosophical plays were not generally well received by action-hungry audiences this became such a problem that al-Hakim began to describe his work as a “théâtre des idées,” more suitable for reading and study than for performance. Born in Egypt at the turn of the 20th century, al-Hakim is known as the father of the Arab world’s dramatic tradition. Al-Hakim’s “thousand and second night” is an ingenious commentary on its source material. Eonnet ’07, the Loeb Ex’s production of Tawfiq al-Hakim’s existential meditation on the “Thousand and One Nights” was a compelling, almost hypnotic piece of theatre. “Shahrazad,” however, is not one of those works. Consider the ugly spectacle of works that keep beating the old horse, unaware that the good days are long gone: the sixth season of “24,” for instance, or the 11th “Redwall” book. It’s usually a good rule of thumb that multi-part stories should get out while the getting’s good.
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