BWW Reviews: '1001:' A Tangled Web

1001

By Jason Grote, Directed by Megan Sandberg-Zakian; Set Design, Cristina Todesco; Lighting Design, David Roy; Costume Design, Elisabetta Polito; Sound Design & Composition, Arshan Gailus; Properties Design, Jason Ries; Fight Choreography, Arielle Kaplan; Semazenbashi/Dance Master, Sufi Murshida Khadija Goforth; Production Stage Manager, Shannan Smith

CAST: Lauren Eicher (Role A), Ben Gracia (Role B), Nael Nacer (Role C), Ruby Rose Fox (Role D), Lonnie McAdoo (Role E), Hampton Fluker (Role F)

Performances through August 13 by Company One at Plaza Theatre, Boston Center for the Arts; Box Office 617-933-8600 or www.BostonTheatreScene.com

We go to the theatre to sit in the dark and listen to a story, to connect with a deep-rooted memory of a rite of childhood, and to enhance the experience by sharing it with our fellow travelers, the communal audience. Among the oldest and most well-known stories are One Thousand and One Nights (aka The Arabian Nights), a compilation of Middle East and South Asian tales collected over many centuries. Included in the volume are such familiar titles as "Sinbad the Seaman," "Aladdin and The Wonderful Lamp," and "Ali Baba and The Forty Thieves." In 1001, now in its Boston premiere at Company One, playwright Jason Grote reinvents the collected works and creates a mash-up of two worlds, time-traveling between ancient Persia and 21^st-century America in the throes of the 9/11 attack.

Director Megan Sandberg-Zakian is charged with making sense of what she refers to, in her program notes, as "the many political, cultural, and literary threads that tangle in the tapestry of 1001." According to Sandberg-Zakian, the playwright offers an extensive suggested reading list with his script and she likens her preparation for the task to "taking a graduate course in some obscure but deeply specific area of inquiry." Not only do these statements provide some insight into the time and effort she has taken with this production, but they also allow me to breathe easier about experiencing this play as almost totally incoherent. If only I had spent weeks doing the homework, perhaps I could have overcome my befuddlement, untangled the threads, and enjoyed the performances with clarity.

However, while I can appreciate being intellectually challenged by a playwright (i.e., in the manner of Tom Stoppard), I do not think the threads should be so tightly tangled as to become opaque, and certainly not to the degree that they are here, causing far more head scratching than knowing head nodding. I would be willing to accept that I was simply unable to follow the era-hopping, but I conferred with my companion and a few selected colleagues at the conclusion of 1001 and was met with a universal, "Huh?" One of them suggested that the author wanted to leave us with questions, to generate thought and discussion, but that seemed a feeble attempt on my colleague's part to put a positive spin on our shared puzzlement.  

I understand that the human addiction to story-telling lies at the heart of 1001, and the play is at its best when the ancient tales are acted out.  Persian King Shahriyar hatches a plan to end adultery by marrying a virgin each day, and then beheading his bride after the wedding night. Scheherazade saves herself (and, presumably, any virgins remaining in the kingdom) by coming up with a series of ongoing stories to tell her husband, sustaining suspense and his interest in her until he falls in love with her and she bears his children. However, the script goes off the rails during the telling of "Sinbad the Seaman" with anachronistic references to Volkswagen and IKEA, and with the sailor encountering 20^th century Argentine writer and poet Jorge Luis Borges.  As he explains his work which embraces magical realism, Borges asks Sinbad if he gets it. The sailor replies, "I don't understand much, I just sort of go with it," articulating my feelings precisely.

When the action catapults to the new millennium, Shahriyar and Scheherazade transform into a young couple in New York. Alan is a Jewish student and Dahna is a Columbia coed from Kuwait struggling to create her identity in a foreign land. Besides the usual tests, their nascent relationship faces additional cultural and political challenges, culminating in the chaos of 9/11. Osama bin Laden and Alan Dershowitz make cameo appearances, with the former reciting the Vincent Price-spoken text from Michael Jackson's "Thriller." At the risk of repeating myself, "Huh?" To parallel the modern references in the ancient scenes, Aladdin's lamp lands in Alan's lap and he summonses the genie who grants him the opportunity to make one wish. By giving Alan the choice of turning back time to eradicate those who perpetrated the attack, or having Dahna remain by his side for the rest of his life, Grote places a heavy burden on this character. Does his choice reflect a single-minded selfishness, metaphorically damning our entire nation? Or does it point to an assertion that love is the most important thing? Or is it none of the above?

The six actors who portray twenty-nine characters perform admirably. I was especially impressed with Lauren Eicher as Scheherazade/Dahna and Nael Nacer as King Shahriyar/Alan respectively. Ben Gracia, Ruby Rose Fox, Lonnie McAdoo, and Hampton Fluker all show incredible range as they morph repeatedly from one character to another. In the role of the One-Eyed Arab, Gracia serves as a narrator of sorts, introducing many of the scenes with labels like so-and-so part one, or such-and-such part two. Possibly intended to clarify the transitions, his pronouncements become disruptive and the device is annoyingly overused.

Costumes by Elisabetta Polito and lighting by David Roy are crucial elements in the overall look of the production, but all of the designers work synergistically. Cristina Todesco's set consists of nine muted red cube-shaped hassocks, initially configured in a large cube, which are redistributed as settings change. Arshan Gailus handles sound design and composition, and Jason Ries is the properties designer.

I was entertained by the story-telling, which contains a good dose of humor, and the talented cast, and appreciate the artistry of the designers. At the end of my review, I have a better grasp of the themes and plot of 1001 than when I began it, owing to hours of research and reflection. The playbill features a page entitled "Navigating the Labyrinth: a Written Compass to Jason Grote's 1001," a compendium of quotations from Grote, Borges, and Rumi, among others. I wouldn't compare it to a road map, but I would suggest that you read it and the director's notes for some guidance before the curtain. At the very least, it will provide an entrée into the dualistic world of the play, but it can't unravel all of the tangles.   

Photo credit: Liza Voll (Standing: Ben Gracia, Hampton Fluker; Sitting: Ruby Rose Fox, Lauren Eicher, Nael Nacer, Lonnie McAdoo)

  

 

 

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