Tales From the Arabian Nights

Tales from the Arabian Nights are about the magic and the mystery of far-flung places -- or at least they were far-flung when Aladdin and the Lamp, Sinbad the Sailor and Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves first became popular in the West in the 18th and 19th centuries. Here was a land of camels, of silks, of fabulously wealthy palaces, guards with turbans and gleaming, polished scimitars; the women were scented, had kohl under their eyes and lounged on cushions or danced. And most importantly there was magic. There were flying carpets, angry Djinns and helpful genies stuck in bottles or in rings, who would do the will of their masters. There were palaces that could appear and disappear in a trice, or be transported across vast deserts to another country, leaving just an empty space where they once were. And there was the beautiful Sheherezade who, with her sister Dinazarde, kept the Sultan Shariah amused, aghast and on tenterhooks with each of her tales for 1001 nights -- until he finally acknowledged that his Sheherezade was too special to behead like her predecessors. Toby Stephens' theatrical Shakespearean credits for the RSC include Measure for Measure, All's Well That Ends Well, for which he was awarded the Sir John Gielgud Award for best actor as well as the Ian Charleson Award. His film and television appearances include Camomile Lawn, The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, The Great Gatsby. He has also performed the part of Edmund in the Naxos AudioBooks' production of King Lear.