Arabian Nights.

The level 3 Acting students production of Arabian Nights opens tonight - I managed to get in to see the dress yesterday evening.

It's Patsy's first show as a director here and she's done a great job pulling out some surprising performances from the acting company. Fahad in particular as the leader of the group of travelling players, singing for their supper, on the road from Basra to Baghdad seemed to me to catch perfectly the combination of pride and humility needed to survive in a world where every meal must be begged for; the cost of every performance negotiated.

Elsewhere there were some neat, well played cameos, including four musicians who underscored the piece, helping to texture and occasionally adding a splash of humour.

The show looked incredible. Patsy moved the action with confidence, playing with the full canvass of the large theatre space. It was also wonderfully costumed and exquisitely lit - giving the performers every incentive and encouragement to explore their imagined world and commit to persuading us that their stories were worth the price of a meal. I hope it goes well.

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