There’s very little mystery to “Mysterious Gifts: Theatre of Iran,” now running at Seattle Children’s Theater’s. There is, however, some surprise.
The import of Iranian performance artist Yaser Khaseb launches artistic director Linda Hartzell’s Connecting Stories program, which celebrates theatrical traditions across the globe through collaboration with international artists. The project in turn ushers in SCT’s 35th season.
Khaseb commences his short program with a one-person montage of traditional Persian dance, accompanied by music in the radif system of 12 modes that sounds so exotic to Western ears. The introduction to the variety of Iran’s traditions was developed exclusively for this performance, and Khaseb brings his honed physicality to this graceful offering.
The subsequent two pieces (separated by an intermission) are the core of Khaseb’s innovative non-verbal work. First, a lone figure in black, presumably confined, thrashes with a smaller demonic figure in red who is actually a puppet on his own arm. For most children, it’s a funny tussle, and Khaseb manages to make his opponent appear quite independent and alive. On a deeper level, however, the piece speaks to the struggle with the self, as in the Sufi quest for purification against one’s own meaner traits.
The final piece is one of creation, in which Khaseb is joined by co-performer Hamid Etemedi Todeshki as a sculptor who forms Khaseb out of mud. Caked in dirt, Khaseb is poured from a barrel and shaped, and ultimately asserts himself against the artist.
Khaseb’s work is characterized by leisurely elegance and fanciful use of his own body to create an absorbing tableau. Those very strengths may be a weakness for some younger children (the show is recommended for ages 10 and up) who may not have the patience for the beautiful scenarios where little actually happens.
The surprise here is that, apart from the initial dancing, there is little by this worthy artist that is uniquely attributable to Iran. As cultural liaison Farin Zahedi pointed out in the opening night talk-back, “sex and politics” are the chief taboo subjects in Iran’s theocracy, so content occupies neutral ground. And even though Persia has a 2,500 year tradition of comic mime, Khaseb cites France’s Marcel Marceau as a major influence.
Hartzell reportedly went to great lengths to bring Khaseb from Iran, marking the first cultural exchange from Iran to the United States since the Islamic revolution 30 years ago. That’s a terrific achievement, and Khaseb is a great emissary for Iran’s arts community. What we appear to learn most from the exchange is how, despite the political barriers, artistic exchange between East and West can produce work that is so innovative yet familiar.
In this increasingly global age, that shouldn’t surprise us a bit.
“Mysterious Gifts: Theatre of Iran” runs through Oct. 11 at Seattle Children’s Theatre’s Charlotte Martin Theatre, 201 Thomas Street. Tickets: $15-$34; (206) 441-3322 or www.sct.org.
