Review: THE CARTOGRAPHER'S CURSE Brings The Message Home at Riverside Theatres

In the modern age of social media, technological advancement in communication, and engineering developments for transport, the ability to connect across borders and boundaries into new countries and cultures is easier than ever. Conversely, forces of xenophobia, warfare and politics have strengthened these invisible divisive lines to give them more potency than before. In Australia, a land that has long been left to its own devices - though not without its own issues of the ripple effects of colonialism and immigration - we cannot always relate to this suffering experienced by war-torn nations caught in the crossfire of occupations and civil conflict. The Cartographer's Curse, the premiere production of the Arabic Theatre Company in partnership with National Theatre of Parramatta, maps out the domestic and public disharmony created by treating nations like playthings to be tug-of-war toyed with between power-hungry empires. It is wonderful to see emerging artists tell these stories to educate us, and done with respect to the ongoing trauma in our own country by inviting an Acknowledgement of Country to commence the performance.

Set several decades ago in Middle Eastern territory being continually occupied and borders redrawn, The Cartographer is a broken man, dancing between rulers and regimes to survive the unavoidable tragedy we see across news bulletins each day. His children represent two means of resilience and resurgence: his daughter, representing benevolence, makes soup from thistles and gives it freely to the impoverished people in the square, while his son joins the resistance effort as a fighter, following the footsteps of his deceased brothers. Watched over by a local Merchant giving pragmatic counsel, and a Professor giving intellectual, this family will be severed in pursuit of their own destinies to withstand the mistreatment of their culture and land.

Zainab Kadhim held much of the play on her shoulders as the Cartographer's daughter, musing prose poetry to weave her narrative. Alissar Gazal's Merchant was far more straight-shooting but this made for a character to relate to and connect the all-too-real tragedies together. Ghassan Hage's Professor was charged with all the humour of the piece which he delivered the devices for well. Ali Kadhim's parkour command of the space gave the play its dynamism and he executed the passion required for his role.

Written and directed by Paula Abood, The Cartographer's Curse was on the whole an enriched narrative delivered with a diverse range of performance styles to engage any audience. The mix of poetry, parkour, music and intellect, humour and sorrow made for a wonderful evening. Although the performance could be improved by tighter pacing, diction in the performances and a braver sense of drama, the production is professional and engaging. Sound Design by Oonagh Sherrard and Ruth Fattal's Costumes lent strongly to the belief we were really there, but this needed to be drawn into the emotion of the performers. Sara Saleh's poetry magnetised the space between my thumb and middle finger magically, as did her presence on stage.

Maximising engagement with cultures and contemporary issues is a fantastic endeavour made by Arabic Theatre Company and National Theatre of Parramatta, which the community should genuinely support and participate in for the betterment of our future.

Images by Eric Berry.

To post a comment, you must register and login.