The Chronicles of Irania

On the surface this seems a deliciously kooky hour celebrating traditional hospitality and the myths of Iran, a nation still proud of its ancient (and distinctly non-Islamic) origins. You certainly get a traditional welcome as Maryam Hamidi’s cheery Iranian housewife alter-ego offers cups of tea around the audiences and politely inquiries if anyone’s a state spy. From the outset, however, her cute Aladdin’s cave of cushions, kilims and story-telling props throws up a harsh mirror on not only Iranian society but also our own in an unexpected two-way process.

Hamidi’s infectiously cheery delivery is aided by model moons, suns and finger puppets as she tells tales of the world’s creation, the first man and woman, chronicles of Iran’s ancient kings and viziers. Woven into all this are contemporary accounts by Iranian women such as an acid attack by a husband and watching a son die, hanged for being gay. The message emerges that such a combined onslaught on the status of woman drags down all of society – ironic to say the least, given the idealisation of women in the stirring myths Hamidi relates.

The mix of saccharine traditional story-telling and hard-nosed current affairs may seem odd bedfellows but Hamidi makes it work via her character’s charm. The script and direction need a great deal more focus to make things less devised, while the accent needs fixing for clarity. Nevertheless this remains a thought-provoking yet entertaining piece that should be seen across the country and beyond in any form.