Double Edge Theatre is eager to dispel impressions that this summer’s traveling spectacle, Shahrazad, is a remount of 2009’s Arabian Nights. Sure, both are drawn from that classic compendium of tales recounted by an Arabian princess to entertain a king and preserve her life. But this one, promises Stacy Klein, the theater’s director, is a thorough reimagining of the material, incorporating different stories from the collection and focused primarily on the relationship of Shahrazad (aka Scheherazade) and the king. “That’s the center of it—a love story,” she says. “It’s essentially the story of a woman who feels that she can change the world.” The physical production has been completely redesigned, with local artists and artisans contributing stone sculptures, painted facades and floating palaces. The audience follows the indoor/outdoor action all over the company’s Ashfield farm, from sundown to torchlit finale.
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