Shahrazad crooked an admonishing finger and said ‘Listen’; as if at her command, forth came an amazing array of characters from the fantastical world of the Thousand and One Nights: resourceful artisans, capricious monarchs, kindly viziers, shrewish wives, tumblers and beggars, ghouls, thieves and dervishes. In this production the numerous actors, besides Shahrazad, had their own tales to narrate as well as enact and the audience were kept spellbound by the energy and originality poured out in every scene.

The Lower School Production of the Arabian Nights, based on the famous legend of Shahrazad who has to tell stories to save herself from execution, was a spectacular piece of theatre. The stage of the Merlin Theatre was draped in richly coloured lengths of silk; indeed silk and other materials featured strongly in creating the effects required by these darkly comic, and sometimes grotesque, stories. The cloaks of the forty thieves in Ali Baba had splendid gold linings which – with a clever bit of choreography – evoked the interior of a cave filled with glittering treasure; a length of green silk brilliantly called up the river into which a baby is thrown; black gauzy material turned the cast instantly and nightmarishly into stone.

Complex theatrical effects like these, delivered with precision and pace, do not come without a huge amount of hard work on the part of the cast and the directors. The Lower School pupils are to be congratulated on tackling this demanding theatrical extravaganza with such confidence and professionalism. Damian Todres and Bella Hooper, the directors, wrote in the programme introduction that they had found it ‘a delight to encourage the cast to work as dynamic ensemble, well beyond their years’.

This show was certainly all about teamwork: everyone made a significant contribution and often played multiple parts. It therefore seems wrong to pick out individual names. However Emily Watson did make a poised and graceful Shahrazad, Tommy Morgan and Ryan Lee were hilarious as Ali Baba and his ill-fated brother, Kasim, and the audience was also struck by the budding puppeteers Anneka Hart and Lucie Sullivan who operated the Talking Bird.

But truly the show belonged to the whole cast. The Headmaster, Mr Priestley, thanked the directors and the cast and said how proud he was that every year the Lower School continues to bring out productions of exceptional quality. Like Sharayar the King (Tobi Ecclestone), we were thoroughly entertained and look forward to the next one.