‘Hakawatis’ Review: Women Tell Tales to Survive
Spooky Action Theater's engaging feminist fable reframes the Arabian Nights with bawdy tales and a strong ensemble.
Storytelling means survival in Hannah Khalil’s feminist fable Hakawatis: Women of the Arabian Nights, staged in an engaging production by Mekala Sridhar at Spooky Action Theater.
Hakawati is, in fact, the Arabic word for storyteller, invoked in the play by the imprisoned brides of a tyrant king, who, for months, has been marrying and murdering brides nightly, punishing womankind for one wife’s infidelity.
Offstage in his royal quarters, his latest bride, Scheherazade, is making her attempt to seduce him with stories, thus saving herself and any brides remaining in their cell. Those last five brides stewing in captivity can only hope Scheherazade spins tales alluring enough to captivate the king.
Still, they’re not just waiting for their turn on the chopping block but taking it upon themselves to conjure more and more stories for Scheherazade to hold this monster in thrall.
A shrewd reframing of One Thousand and One Nights, Hakawatis centers five women telling stories to save their lives, fertile ground for the all-female ensemble. Irish Palestinian playwright Khalil provides snappy dialogue, and — with contributions from Hanan Al-Shaykh, Suhayla El-Bushra, and Sara Shaarawi, and translations by Hassan Abdulrazzak — beguiling, bawdy tales of sex, romance, magic, and intrigue.
Sridhar, who directed a reading of the play a couple years ago with co-producers Solas Nua New Irish Arts, provides a cohesive point-of-view. The spare scenic design by Giorgos Tsappas serves well as palace prison cell and bare canvas for the brides, gracefully costumed by Cidney Forkpah.
William K. D’Eugenio’s lighting paints vivid atmosphere that’s further embellished by the effective, if insistent, sound design and composition by navi. Assisting the cast in embellishing their stories, Johnna Presby’s puppets add a touch of whimsy to brighten these dark Arabian nights.
This is a matter of life and death, after all, for brides Naha the wise (Gowri Koneswaran), Akila the writer (Laura Zee), Zuya the warrior (Gigi Cammaroto), Wadiha the dancer (Lilinaz Hakimi, admirably filling in press night for Raghad Makhlouf), and Fatah the young (Surasree Das).
Fatah, played by Das with charming brightness, arrives in the opening scene believing in fairy-tale romance, imagining lovemaking with the king as something tender and electric. No one warned her she’s betrothed to a man who intends to kill her. That tragic fate awaits too many women (still), hence the brides bonding in sisterhood to save each other, and all the future brides this king might slaughter.
Their bond is beautifully portrayed in the synchronized choreography, by Robert Bowen Smith and Rex Daugherty, of their group writing sessions, a sort of dance in which each woman sits with paper and pen to compose a new story. “We need lots of stories,” says Akila.
Evoking eons of humans camped in caves sharing stories, the ensemble works smoothly as a team enacting all the imagined characters and situations. If there’s a Sapphic charge to women portraying men in these occasionally ribald tales of erotic and romantic connection, the cast leans into it, as well as the humor and mystery running through all the tales.
They and the director might also supply a bit more propulsion getting through the tail end of the first act (it drags a little), and registering a stronger sense of dread and loss when one of the brides goes missing (since presumably they don’t know if she’ll ever return). Individually, the performances are not all great, but the collective is strong, a sisterhood sustained by wholehearted storytelling.
Hakawatis (★★★☆☆) runs through Oct. 18, at Universalist National Memorial Church, 1810 16th St. NW. Tickets are $50, with discounts available for Students and Seniors, and a limited amount of $17 Economy tickets for each performance. Call 202-248-0301, or visit spookyaction.org.
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