Watching Uzbek Culture and Theatre during the Pandemic: The Five Wives of Hadja Nasreddin by Uzbekistan State Drama Theatre

 Over the course of the past several months, while staying at home during the multiple lockdowns in our Ontario province in Canada, I have had the privilege and pleasure of attending a number of online Uzbek arts, culture and performance events on Zoom organized by European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in association with Orzu Arts of England and British Uzbek Society. I started attending these Zoom events around Christmas time; with my first being an Andijan Polka dance workshop taught by Gulandom Qurombaeva, and later the masterclass on the Mustahzod taught by Mashxura Tolibovna. The experience, cultural engagement and educational value offered by these workshops and masterclasses was truly enriching and well-worth getting up in the early hours for (I woke up at 5:00 am to make it in time for the 6:00 am workshops in December and January which were offered in London time).

I’ve recently also attended a number of sessions scheduled during the Spring in celebration of Nowruz. One of these offerings was a screening of the performance of The Five Wives of Hadja Nasreddin, directed by Rasuljon Tagaykulov, performed by Uzbekistan State Drama Theatre, which I had the opportunity to watch yesterday. Being a Theatre Minor from Queen’s University, and having taken a number of Theatre Department courses during my PhD in Dance Studies at York University (Department of Dance, York University), I was truly excited to watch this production, which was my first exposure to theatre performance from Uzbekistan. Sharing below a few reflections and screenshots I took on phone while watching the production!  

The set design for this production features rich decor and detail, with 5 striking curtained doorways adorned with suzani and other traditional textile panels. The set in itself makes the play a visual treat!

The play was delightful to watch the actions and delivery by each of the five actresses and  the lead actor playing Nasreddin. 

 I particularly enjoyed watching tableau moments of the characters gathered at centre in their colourful traditional costumes, making a very memorable visual experience.

The most fascinating part for me was the establishment of the characters through dance and movement elements. The play begins with all five wives entering the stage and performing a short dance in unison, singing “The mind of a women cannot be conquered by any man.” They are accompanied by prerecorded singing and musical accompaniment. 

Later in the play, as each of the five wives is introduced, they perform a short dancelike segment performed to the doira (frame drum), sometimes accompanied by their own singing, sometimes just with percussive accompaniment, establishing the distinct character and persona of each wife. We are introduced to the first wife, Jannat, the daughter of the executioner; the young and flirtatious Tamanna Banu who is the second wife; the third wife, the cleaning-obsessed Zubeida; and the fourth wife, Tutikhon, who is hard of hearing. Finally, we are introduced to his original wife, Fatima. The percussive motifs were different for each wife character, and each actress danced with a distinctive physicalization.  Zubeida dances around the space with a broom, and sings about her obsession of cleaning.  Tutikhon introduces herself with dance, singing as she dances, and her song itself is about dance. The second wife, Tamanna Banu, also depicted as the youngest wife, dances the most frequently, introducing herself later to Nasreddin’s original wife, also by dancing. 

Its interesting to note that its primarily the women whose characters are established through these short dance-like moments within the play while the male character personas in this play are typically established through the dialogue or monologues.

In the post-screening discussion session with the director and cast, it was revealed that the most challenging part of the artistic process of the production was rehearsing during the pandemic, especially in regards to spatial blocking and movement, as rehearsals were done largely via Zoom. It is truly heartening to see theatre workers and cultural workers continue their valuable work during this pandemic. While travel is not an option currently, it is exciting to wake up early or stay up late at odd hours to experience and learn art. Gratitude to organizers such as EBRD, Orzu Arts and British Uzbek Society who make it a possibility during these challenging times with these initiatives!