The London Coliseum prepares to welcome one of the most extravagant productions of its last season, in a show celebrating not only its West End premiere but also the friendship between Eastern and Western culture. Guillermo Nazara chats with its director, to learn more about this spectaculra piece inspired by three thousand years of history.
How does it feel to be bringing this show to the West End for the first time?
It’s truly wonderful. This a very special event not only for me, but also for Mongolia. I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to British people. 60 year ago, the UK was the first Western country that accepted Mongolia as an independent country. And now it’s also one of the first one to be opening its culture to ours.
How did they idea for this show originate?
Back in the day, Mongolia comprised several powerful empires in Central Asia. Many people actually ask what was the key behind those – as well as which kind of attributes they people had. It was almost like a top secret, which I wanted to reveal through this montage. It’s inspired by our kings’ most precious secrets.
As you mentioned before, you wanted to express your gratitude to the British people. Is that going to be shown in some way in this piece?
The plot is set about 3 thousand years ago. There’s a lot of evidence that, during that time, the Mongolian empire was connected to the Western world – as we’ve found through letters sent to Rome, and similar. This show is a journey to the past, through which, hopefully, the British people will somehow identify with – thanks to the similarities with ancient culture.
This montage is extremely opulent, featuring over 70 performers, live original music, puppetry… How challenging has it been to develop it?
We’re coming to Shakespeare’s homeland and we’re also trying to thank British audiences, so our intention is to bring the best we can offer. Mongolia has a long history of drama – with tribes and families gathering for storytelling moments. That’s how it all started. And we used to include all of this elements: dance, singing, etc. We can say that Mongolian drama is quite specific as a genre, because it’s a collection of all the best artforms – it doesn’t fit into one particular category. It just combines the best, which is what makes it challenging – apart from the way it will be received here, but I’ll let wise audiences decide about that!
As you’ve commented about the different artforms that create this genre, are there any specific Mongolian theatrical techniques that will be featured in this montage?
The show has been devised and directed through a cinematic style. As a director, my approach was to make audiences live inside the moment – pulling them into this universe. We’ve put a lot of effort into the transitions between scenes: how to make changes without pulling the curtain up and down, for example. I wanted to create something smooth that could put the viewers into a journey. There will be also traditional Mongolian dramatic techniques too. Basically, we are attempting to take the audiences’ energy into our show.
If you would have to give me one single reason to come see this show, which one would it be?
I would actually like to give you three! The first one is love, because that’s what this show is all about – all of its aspects and responsibility. The second is its philosophy. This piece is about what it takes to be a leader, which kind of personalities make someone like that – able to make the necessary sacrifices for the greater good. And the third one is its culture. It’s very rich and enlightening, because its mindset is not about controlling nature or fate, but adapting to them.
The Mongol Khan will play at the London Coliseum fro 17 November to 3 December. Tickets are available on the following link.