Arabian Nights

Our kid critic, Fin Rutherford, joins Fest's Louise Black for a night at the Arabian Nights

★★★★★

archive review (edinburgh) | Read in About 2 minutes

39658 original

By Louise Black and Fin Rutherford

Published 17 Aug 2010

100487 original

Louise Black says...

Bedfordshire puppetry company the Theatre of Widdershins have built a strong reputation at the Fringe for their adaptations of fairy tales and legends. This year, storyteller Andy Lawrence leads us deep into the Middle East, enticing us from the initial waft of incense into a mystical world of folklore and fairies, belly dancers and donkeys.

A master of his craft, Lawrence weaves three tales of wonder, enhanced by emotive music and elaborate puppets of all shapes and sizes. The colourful set is astounding, full of secret compartments and surprises, every nook and cranny serving a purpose. Props hidden within props leave you guessing and gasping in amazement at the intricacies of the design and stage management. It is no mean feat to engage an audience of such a wide age range, but this production does so effortlessly. It's an inspirational example of how powerful and accessible an art form storytelling can be.

Fin Rutherford says...

Arabian Nights is a fantastic puppet show that I really enjoyed. I got a real feel for the show as soon as I walked in with the colourful lighting, the relaxing drumming music, the sweet smell of perfume and the creative scenery.

The storyteller was brilliant and held my attention throughout. He told three different tales using lots of amazing puppets of all shapes and sizes that popped out of nowhere. He also used props in a clever way, like the storybooks on stage that opened up to reveal different items that set the scene. Each puppet had a different voice even though there was only one man – that was cool! There were also lots of funny bits like the belly dancers and the flying carpet.

The hour flew by and I didn’t want the show to end. Tickets are selling fast so if you don’t want to miss this wonderful show you better be quick!