Crawley: "exhilarating stories full of fun, danger, wonder and passion"

A spokesman said: “Scheherazade tells stories… exhilarating stories full of fun, danger, wonder, and passion. But will it be enough? Can her stories save her life?

“With their stylish brand of ensemble storytelling, puppetry, mask and live music, Dragonboy Productions bring to the stage some of the funniest and most entertaining folk tales found in The Arabian Nights, including The Seven Voyages of Sindbad, The Little Hunchback, Faisal and the Barber, Behind the Door and Sage Duban and the Wazir.”

Director Eliot Giuralarocca said: “We love stories and no collection of stories are more beloved than these wonderful Middle-Eastern folk tales, they are hymns and fables to the inventiveness of the human spirit, by turns hilarious, poignant, odd and memorable. With four actor-musicians, live music, mask and song we hope to create a feast of physical story-telling for the whole family in an evening that simply cannot be missed!

“I first read these stories as a child, and they have always stayed with me. I used to sit watching the Banana Splits every Saturday morning waiting in excited anticipation for the Arabian Knights cartoon segment to start! I recall with fondness the shape-shifter Bez who would announce ‘Size of an elephant’ or whatever creature would best serve his purpose before clapping his hands and magically transforming as well as the crazy donkey Zazuum who would turn into a whirlwind every time someone was foolish enough to pull his tail, which of course seemed to happen every episode! These stories were such fun, so full of life, laughter and adventure and they coloured my childhood imagination with fables of potions and magic, flying carpets and princesses, giants and genies.

“When I read the tales again as an adult, I realised that as well as being fun, they were also wonderful hymns to the inventiveness and resourcefulness of the human spirit. During Covid – now thankfully receding into the realms of memory – I picked up my old, battered copy of Richard Burton’s Arabian Nights and started re-reading them. The folk tales reminded me of childhood, and they seemed to be crying out to be performed in front of an audience.

“Theatres were closed and like most of the country during that first lockdown, I found myself stuck indoors with plenty of time on my hands. Well, it’s now or never, I thought and so I rolled up my sleeves and got stuck in to adapting them for the stage. Intrinsically dramatic, there were so many tales that I enjoyed that it was like choosing which fine dish to serve from a banquet of possibilities.

“But working from a long list of favourites I eventually whittled them down to go for a mix of stories that I hope are both funny and poignant in equal measure. I’ve really enjoyed the process of adaptation. I have chosen to keep the story-telling form of characters talking to the audience directly which I think honours the oral tradition that they spring from and allows characters to share their thoughts, feelings and attitude to what is unfolding and to comment on the action.”

Tickets priced £8.50 (family of four: £30) are available at from the box office on 01293 553636 and hawth.co.uk.