The Magic Carpet

Published Thursday 15 December 2005 at 14:15 by Susan Elkin

Based on Arabic folklore, this slick and classy show makes unusually imaginative use of special effects without resorting to gimmicks. The eclipse in the second half, the flying carpet and the occasional use of puppetry worked particularly well.

The foxy Miloshin (Stephen Mangan) and his feline friend Zhivta (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) are thieves. After taking treasure, they embark on a quest on a magic carpet to deal with the villainous Du-Shao, who gets possession of the magic lamp. The powerful lamp would enable him to silence the world, including birdsong, so the rhythmically Arabic action is assisted by a trio of raucously comic, dancing, cockney magpies (Sarah Belcher, Nick Haverson and Helena Lymbery), a nightingale (Howard Coggins, who also plays a very funny mule) and Aicha Kossoko’s queenly eagle.

Mangan conveys sexy, in-your-face wickedness with attractive aplomb and the lithe Duncan-Brewster with her lilting singing voice is very strong on stage. So is the versatile Jason Thorpe, whose bad singing in his camp peacsock role is a hilarious moment.

Keith Clouston’s music fits the action perfectly. There are good musical jokes too, such as the use of Grieg’s Morning to send up the absurd idyllic nature of the kingdom of the Khazar King.

If the vagaries of the plot are sometimes unclear then, frankly, it does not matter much. Sheer theatrical verve drives this show forward to its lyrical climax in which Miloshin and Zhivta, ‘the saviours of music,’ become the ‘star dancers of the heavens.’