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Be transported through the ages of Afghanistan in a work of poetic beauty that explores the devastating attraction of this ancient land.

From failed invasions to sensual revelations, venture into a world of desire and danger in this evocative new work from the author of BAGHDAD, BABY!

REVIEWS:

"From humankind's birth in the Garden of Eden to the death of a soldier in modern warfare, The Perfumed Garden attempts and epic sweep of the history of Afghanistan. Starting with Alexander the Great, it unfolds a history of colonisation, with Victorian imperialists, Soviet communists, New Zealand soldiers, and even hippy wanderers of the seventies all using the country for their own ends or trying to make it in their own image.

That such an attempt worked theatrically was due, in no small way, to Julian Southgate's miracle of set design. On a very small stage he has created a usable acting space with a background panorama suggesting the vast and rugged landscape of Afghanistan.

The story contains all of Dean Parker's usual flair, intelligence and wit, which this production embellishes fully. Director Lara Macgregor is certainly proving her worth at The Court and she has worked with creative insight here.

Epic tale it might be but a cast of thousands it is not, so the actors have to play numerous and varied roles, with they manage skilfully and tellingly."
- The Press

"It is a long stretch from butterflies to helicopters, from a symbol of innocent beauty to one of incoming warfare, from an Old Testament Garden of Eden to the bloodied corpse of a Kiwi soldier in contemporary Afghanistan.

The challenge is boldly met by the imaginative drive of Dean Parker’s satire, fleshed out by clear direction from Lara Macgregor, focused by a strong design team and played out by a committed ensemble. For this, its world premiere, the audience is swept purposefully along the epic trail of successive occupations. We have no answer however for Parker’s question (noted in the programme): “Why are we fighting there, rather than gazing about in astonishment?”

The play has a huge heart as well a pointed intelligence at work, so that each episode is also imbued with humour and warmth. Innocence in the Garden has, it is suggested, under outside pressure, become an obdurate culture as unyielding as the ancient rock it is built on. Whatever the intention of the ‘invader’, a relentless pattern of painful defeat is established, so that the prefigured end, even for a peace-keeping force, is grim.

In its structure the play is simple but hugely challenging as encounter after encounter evolves, fuelled by Parker’s passion to show the deep roots of mistrust if not contempt nourished by wave after wave of outsiders."
- Read the full Theatreview here.

"An usher has to guide us to our seats for the Forge’s latest production as the theatre is a dark, confronting cave for the world premiere of The Perfumed Garden; a brave, clever play exploring why New Zealanders are inAfghanistan. If not for the magnificently gritty back-street-bar music, it would seem as if we’re watching the dawn light over the Hindu Kush from the depths of Osama Bin Laden’s lair.

The Perfumed Garden explores the history of this ancient land, beginning with its biblical importance, moving through the eras of Alexander the Great , English imperialism (“it’s all tickety-boo”), and Soviet rule, before finally settling on the present American-led conflict. Through discussions of religion, science, and global politics, Parker asks the same question of the multitude of visitors to Afghanistan: why are you here?

The five actors reveal a host of characters, accents, and situations, all leading to the same conclusion: Afghanistan is unforgiving and unconquerable, and not the Garden of Eden they hoped for when they came marching in. Even the jovial Kiwi backpacker can’t win over the locals, sent packing after discovering that his geology degree won’t help him understand this country, and his Californian girlfriend is pregnant.

The number of characters and the play’s wide historical spread meant the story became a little hard to follow. However, the actors’ built some memorable relationships, including an unwittingly witty multi-lingual conversation between an English mistress and her slave, a cuss-laden exchange about butterflies between a Kiwi private and corporal, and a wonderful battle of philosophies and personal attacks between two Auckland couples with strong beliefs on the virtues of communism.

As ever at the Forge, the set was outstanding. Complimented by brilliant lighting, Julian Southgate’s design was stunning in its simplicity, allowing the focus to remain on the actors while unveiling more of the Afghani backdrop as the plot revealed the complexities of the region’s history.

We may have all been in the dark at the start of the play, but come its conclusion, The Perfumed Garden certainly shed some light on the historical and political issues surrounding Afghanistan."
- Reviewed by official Forge student reviewer Rhys Brookbanks

"The play, which is set in Afghanistan, takes the audience on a political, provocative and above all humorous crash course through the country’s history. In a succession of five witty scenes, played out against a simple but powerful set, the play moves from Afghanistan’s invasion by Alexander the Great right through to the country’s current occupation by peacekeeping troops. The ensemble cast, Mel Dodge, Kathleen Burns, Matt Hudson, James Kupa and 13-year-old Jackson Karaitiana Smallman-Noble, transform again and again from one age to the next as they tell their powerful tale. While the later stories keep feeding on the preceding ones, the actors entirely adapt the ever-changing roles of the multiple characters they’re playing. Mel Dodge is especially impressive in her embodiment of differing roles such as a slave of Victorian invaders who seduces her master’s wife and a geeky 1970s political activist."
- Read the full TML Publishing review here.

Featuring:

Matt Hudson
Mel Dodge
James Kupa
Kathleen Burns
Jackson Karaitiana Smallman-Noble

Tickets:
Adults $32, Seniors/Supporters $27, Students $22.
30-Under Club: $15 (Mon-Wed only). Find out more.
Group bookings of 10 or more people $27. To make a group booking phone the Box Office on 963 0870 or email bookings@courttheatre.org.nz.

Click here to download a media release.

For more information phone the Box Office on 963-0870.

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