“Monsieur Jordan, the Botanist Scholar, and Dervish Mastali Shah, the Famous Sorcerer” is a lively satirical comedy based on Monsieur Jordan and Dervish Mastali Shah.
Karabakh, 1848. On one side stands a French botanist armed with herbariums, notebooks, and an unwavering belief in science. On the other side is an Iranian dervish with spells, amulets, and an equally firm faith in his mystical powers. Between them is a family urgently trying to decide whether a young man should be allowed to leave for Paris.
Mirza Fatali Akhundov wrote this comedy nearly two centuries ago, yet it remains remarkably relevant and entertaining today. The clash between knowledge and superstition, between the old world and the new, is an eternal conflict that every generation reenacts in its own way.
Stage Director: Alexander Sharovsky
Production Designer: Nikita Sazonov (Russia)
Costume Designer: Fakhriya Khalafova
Lighting Designer: Teimuraz Sukhishvili (Georgia)
Composer: Vagif Gerayzade
Choreographer: Fuad Osmanov
Poetry: Alexandra Nikushina
Illusion Consultant: Tofik Iskenderli
Assistant Choreographer: Maria Dubovitskaya
Assistant Director: Lanita Afonina
Cast:
Monsieur Jordan, Parisian botanist — Mabud Magerramov
Mastali Shah, famous sorcerer from Iran — Fuad Osmanov
Gatam Khan Aga, landlord of Tekle-Muganlu in Karabakh — Safa Mirzagasanov
Shahrabanu Khanum, wife of Gatam Khan — Natalya Sharovskaya
Sharaf-Nisa Khanum, elder daughter of Gatam Khan — Khadjar Agayeva
Gulchohra, younger daughter of Gatam Khan — Tamilla Abutalybova
Shahbaz Bek, nephew of Gatam Khan and fiancé of Sharaf-Nisa — Murad Mamedov
Khan-Peri, nurse of Sharaf-Nisa — Melek Abaszade, Inna Imranova
Gulam-Ali, student of Mastali Shah — Salman Bayramov
Residents of Karabakh and Paris — Rufat Aliyev, Rashad Aliyarov, Tamerlan Abdullayev, Farid Huseynov, Zaur Teregulov, Ramil Aliyev, Sabina Mammadova-Gasimzade (Asim), Olesya Gasymova, Govhar Shahbanova, Dilyara Nazarova, Syama Valiyeva, Samira Ragimova
Duration:
Act I — 55 minutes
Act II — 50 minutes
