Night of the Sultans
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Night of the Sultans
At the River Rock Casino until June 11
By Deb Martin – special for GungHaggisFatChoy.com
I must admit that half the reason I went to see this show was to see
the new theatre at the casino. I wanted to see how people with real
money build a performance facility. I was impressed with the design.
The house holds 1022 people, but felt much cozier, and I doubt there is
a bad seat in it. I am always happier when I am close enough to see the
expressions on the performers faces and the details in the costumes.
Part of the seating can also be dropped to create a larger floor area
for cabaret style dinner theatre.
It was apparent from the first number that this was not opening night
for this troupe of dancers. The performance was tight, polished and
very well rehearsed. It just got better after that. In a conversation
with some of the dancers after the show we were able to determine that
the group of about 60 performers had been on the road traveling the
world with the show for two years. All but 10 were Turkish, and a lack
of Turkish on my part put an end to further questions. The other 10
were Russian.
These dancers are eye-candy for both genders, and very skilled in all
genres of dance, from folk to modern to ballet. The level of fitness
required to perform this show is astounding. You can excuse the hokey
story of Pandora and Prometheus that ties the numbers together – it’s
merely marketing to draw an audience. I doubt a show called
“Turkish-Arabic Folk Dancing” would sell. The story also creates
opportunities for solo dancers to be showcased. The real spectacle is
the phenomenal group dances with colorful and creative costumes. The
show-stopper is a number with just the men in a line at the front of
the stage.
The running time was just over an hour, and I gather the show can be
expanded in time and the number of dancers adjusted to suit the stage.
I can compare it to the shows I saw while holidaying in Mexico at a
resort that has evening entertainment. My friend also says it compares
to cruise ship entertainment with a minimum of sets and projections
used as backdrops and scenery. We will overlook the canned music that
was just this side of acceptable for sound quality. This was the one
disappointment of the new theatre.
See
Night of the Sultans official website
Night of the Sultans – review by Alex Varty, Georgia Straight