Theater review: ‘1001 Nights’ magical at Center for Puppetry Arts
THEATER REVIEW
“1001 Nights: A Love Story About Loving Stories”
Grade: B+
10 a.m. and noon Thursday; 10 a.m. and 8 p.m. Friday; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturday; 2 and 5 p.m. Sunday. Through Sunday. $9.25-$16.50. Center for Puppetry Arts, 1404 Spring St. N.W., Atlanta. 404-873-3391, www.puppet.org.
Bottom line: Famous author delivers delightful work.
Even without the remarkable credentials of one of its co-authors, “1001 Nights: A Love Story About Loving Stories” would stand on its own as a delightful adaptation of a classic from the Center for Puppetry Arts.
But there it is, like a genie in a bottle, the tiny/huge fact that co-creator Robert Lopez and his wife recently picked up an Oscar for writing the music for the Disney feature "Frozen." And there he was: Lopez stopping by the Midtown theater earlier this week to see the wondrous tale of an imaginative little girl named Sherry who skips out on her homework to conjure the legendary Scheherezade. (Or "Sche-hera-what?" as one of the play's characters says of the "Arabian Nights" heroine who must weave story after story, night after night, to avoid the ax of a vengeful, heartbroken king.)
A co-production of the puppetry center and Atlanta native Adam Koplan’s Flying Carpet Theatre, “1001 Nights” was first produced in 1998, a few years before Lopez would make his name with “Avenue Q,” “The Book of Mormon” and “Frozen.” Thus the rush by producers to note that “1001 Nights” is an “early” work by the man who, at 39, would become the youngest holder of an EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony) earlier this year.
Hey, no qualifiers necessary for this reviewer.
After seeing the show — with its half-dozen songs, clever puppetry and affecting commentary on the dual nature of illusion and reality, freedom and imprisonment, rejection and forgiveness — I found myself urging friends to see “1001 Nights” before it closes this weekend.
Appropriate for all ages, “1001 Nights” exceeds expectations on nearly every count. Koplan, who co-wrote the book with Lopez, directs with a seasoned yet playful hand.
Atlanta actor Googie Uterhardt, a first-rate comedian with a lovely singing voice, is terrific as the murderous king who turns into a blubbering child at the sight of the fisherman and the genie, Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, and so on. Of course who wouldn’t be transported by the shimmering shadow puppetry, the “camel-cycles” and the actor (Terry Guest) who plays all 40 thieves by wearing a jacket stitched with 39 dollheads? These brilliant touches are by the center’s own Jon Ludwig, who is in charge of puppet direction.
Ally Duncan captures the indefatigable spirit of Sherry/Scheherezade, though I do wish she could hit the high notes without stressing listeners’ ears, like fingernails on chalkboard. That said, she otherwise acquits herself quite winningly, and the ensemble (which also counts Guest, Mary Nye Bennett and John Wright) is uniformly good. (Guest, with his expressive arsenal of styles and characters, is just plain fun.)
Designers Jason von Hinezmeyer (puppets), James Aitken (sets and lighting) and Erik R. Teague (costumes) deliver admirably.
And Lopez’s songs showcase material ranging from melancholy, Sondheim-like compositions (“Hello, My Treasure”) to spoofs of blues (“King’s Blues”) and revival-tent numbers (“I Can’t Believe”). Indeed, you can hear the voice of a master of irony who will find fame with Broadway’s naughty “Avenue Q” (which also used human actors wielding furry puppets) and “The Book of Mormon,” a musical that is most decidedly not for kids.
Let’s just hope this sparkling little show goes on a magic carpet ride to other venues and stops here again soon.
