The play ‘The Phantom of the Tehran Opera’, directed by Ali Sasani Nejad is on stage at Iranian Artists’ Forum in Tehran.
A different adaptation of a 1990 work by British award-winning writer Susan Kay, ‘Phantom’, the story is localized and set in Tehran, Honaronline reports.
The original story is about a phantom, born as Erik (the main character) in Boscherville, a small town not far from Rouen in France, in the summer of 1831.
Kay’s novel is intended to be a biography, covering Erik’s life from birth to death, in order to encompass and explain the motivation and history behind the actions and events.
The language used in the prose is descriptive and moving, providing a clear picture not only of the scene as it unfolds but also of the characters and their actions.
The adapted version of the play, however, is presented as a combination of different media. “Painting and sculpture are combined with the performance, creating a less-seen type of show,” said the director.
Erik’s childhood, and his later travels to different countries, including Iran, and his role in the murder of Amir Kabir (1807-1852), chief minister to Naser al-Din Shah Qajar for the first three years of his reign, are parts of the story that are mainly focused by Sasani Nejad.
“I highlighted the romantic atmosphere of the story,” he said.
Paintings and sculptures are other elements of the performance, which aim to “present the story through different aspects of art as an innovation in performance.”
The novel was earlier released as a film and performed many times on stage. For several years, Phantom was out of print, and was only available in the secondhand market.
Hossein Zarouri, Foroud Sadeqi, Babak Bardia, Siavash Babaei, Haleh Behboudi, Iman Ebadian, Saber Karimi, Mehdi Sabri, Sahra Kiaei, Naghmeh Rezaei and Amin Norouzi are among the cast.
The play is on stage until February 6 at the IAF hall, located in North Mousavi St., Iranshahr Ave., Enqelab Avenue.
