Trek to liberty: This map forms part of the publicity material for the new playSalman Rushdie began writingHaroun and the Sea of Storiesshortly after the fatwa was imposed. He heard about his freedom just days before a stage adaptation of the book opened at London's Royal National Theatre."What is the use of stories that aren't even true?" is what the book's young hero asks his father, the famous storyteller Rashid Khalifa. The father has lost his gift of being able to tell stories. For Rushdie, however, the telling of stories is central to human identity: "Stories are part of the glue which holds families, tribes and nations together."The idea of the book goes back to the days when Rushdie told his seven-year-old son Zafar (now 19 and in university) stories at bath-time. Zafar's middle name is Haroun. Haroun... is a fairy tale in which the son sets out to restore his father's gift of the gab. His destination is the Ocean of the Stream of Story, where lies the elixir of good storytelling.On the way, he has to cross the Land of the Chupwallahs and fight the forces of darkness led by Khatam Shud. As the Arch Enemy of Stories and Foe of Speech, he is polluting the Ocean. Not surprisingly, the book has been seen as a parable of democracy versus dictatorship, of Rushdie's struggle against the fatwa.The breezy tale has been adapted for the stage by director Tim Supple and his associate, David Tushingam. It has a cast of 12 and an unusual structure. Some scenes are narrated and then visually illustrated. Others are, of course, enacted..preferred-source-banner{ margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom:10px;}An uproarious moment is the entrance of General Kitab, a conservative, Colonel Blimp-type figure. He is followed by Prince Bolo and the Guppee Army who are, literally, pages of books marching in a drill. Prince Bolo wants to rescue Princess Batcheat who is about to be sacrificed at the altar of Bezaban. The Chupwallahs are menacingly attired in black, with their lips zipped up.Rushdie attended rehearsals held in secrecy and liked what he saw. Some cast members were nervous though. There was talk of conducting security searches at the theatre. One performer went so far as to adopt a new name for the stage. Thanks to a P2C2E or a Process Too Complicated To Explain - as Iff, the Water Genie would say - all that is now deemed unnecessary.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Oct 12, 1998--- ENDS ---
