Review: THE MONGOL KHAN, London Coliseum

An immense theatre production that leans as much on the Shakespearean tradition of rehashing history for modern audiences as it does on delivering spectacular staging, The Mongol Khan invades the West End’s biggest theatre with a show sure to set tongues wagging.

The work was originally written by Lkhagvasuren Bavuu in 1998 and comes to London care of director Hero Bataar. With a version penned by Olivier-winning Timberlake Wertenbaker based on a translation by her husband John Ma, the story takes us back two millenia to the court of Archug Khan. Both his Queens produce heirs, one by him and, unknown to him, one by his adviser Chancellor Egereg. When the Khan seems to favour his natural son (Queen Consort Gurgel’s Prince Khuchir), the ambitious Egereg swaps the babies around in the hope of having his own offspring (Queen Tsetser’s Prince Achir) on the throne. 

As he grows, the preferred son exhibits murderous tendencies and bouts of epilepsy. Archug  Khan - noticing that Egereg also has seizures - makes the difficult decision to promote his Khuchir and have his half-brother executed. Following scenes of revenge, execution, murder and a climactic battle, only the Khan is left standing.

Compared to what we have already seen this season, The Mongol Khan lacks the deep gravitas of the ENO’s Peter Grimes or the exuberant playfulness of Iolanthe but it more than earns its spot both through sheer spectacle and drama which wouldn’t be out of place in something by GEORGE RR MARTIN. The plot is shallow, especially given a running time of three hours, but few come to an opera house for the storylines alone. Its lack of pace and the way key points are dragged out is not usual in many of the classic tragedies staged at the Coliseum but, at least in this case, there is a large cast of dancers and acrobats to physically amplify or complement the characters’ actions. 

The aesthetic aspects - costuming, stage design and lighting especially - are up there with the finest West End productions and show off ex-illustrator Baatar’s very visual sense of theatre; that could reasonably lead to accusations of putting style over substance, usually from those who did not sit through the ENO’s take on The Valkyrie (in a supreme display of style buried deep under substance, the regal Wotan wanders the stage in Primani before walking around an imaginary circle of flame). 

As the Khan, Erdenebileg Ganbold is a formidable presence, throwing shapes in a performance which eats up the massive stage. He unfortunately overshadows everyone else with Bold-Erdene’s dastardly Chancellor and Uranchimeg Urtnasan and Dulguun Odkhuu as Queens Tsetser and Gurgel providing sturdy support. 

That this play is, in no small measure, a soft-power tactic from Mongolia - a republic facing six times the size of the UK with only a fraction of its population - is undeniable, especially given the PR brochures handed out to those departing. The landlocked country faces pressure from Russia and China (which has banned the work). Whether 

If the ENO is genuine in its mission to put more and different bums on seats at the Coliseum or wherever else it goes, shows like The Mongol Khan should be seen as a welcome entry point for those who have never set foot in an opera house before or seen productions on this scale outside of a musical from the House of Mouse. I look forward to the Khan’s next invasion of the West End.

The Mongol Khan continues until 2 December.

Photo Credits: Katja Ogrin

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