A treat for the whole family, this play may be presented as a non-musical, using the four songs as background music along with the other spectacular effects on the sound effects tape (or CD). Tales from the Arabian Nights ran for 31 performances on the Large Stage of Houston's Alley Theatre. Among other notable productions was the Indiana Repertory Theatre's 61 performances.

The Sultan, bewitched by a magic scimitar, decrees that he will marry a new bride every evening and chop off her head the next morning. To save her pretty neck, clever Scheherazade tells her husband a tale which isn't quite completed by the dawn's early light. So he postpones the execution a day. Scheherazade keeps up this parade of stories for a thousand and one nights, finally winning him away from the scimitar's evil spell. As she tells each tale, an ensemble of as few as 6 actors or as many as 25 or more act out the story. Dixon takes a jocular approach to the centuries-old tales "true to basic plot lines and intentions of the tales, but not averse to kidding and stylizing the material. This is fine, for the playful approach makes the show stage worthy and engaging." —Everett Evans, Houston Chronicle.

From the author:The Thousand and One Nights remains a wonderbook of the mysterious East. Its many tales of marvels and enchantment, some of which have been retold for more than a millenium, originated in India, Iraq, Iran, Egypt, Turkey, and possibly Greece. Their compilation into a single work was the achievement of many writers. This "contemporized" collection of familiar and obscure stories evokes an ancient world where magic and reality commingle, where sweet daydreams abruptly end in shivering awakenings. In this adaptation anything can happen, and indeed many strange things do. But it is all in the same spirit of creativity, fun, and inventiveness that saved Scheherazade and entertained the Sultan for those thousand and one nights...a thousand and one years ago.

One act in ten scenes; Every prop and costume piece are on the stage so the performers never have to leave; Costumes, basic Arabian Nights costumes with an accessory to suggest the character. Production notes in the playbook describe the Alley Theatre's colorful staging.

"A fun challenge for 9th graders through adults to perform...It is excellent to take on tours to Grades 3 and up."—Diane Breinholt, BYU Children's Book Review. "A delightful play...dramatically sound and theatrically exciting...appropriate for all age levels...a swift pace...If a production budget were low, this play could be reduced to its theatrical essentials and still play very well. If the sky were the limit, this play could be a director's or set designer's delight."—CTAA Distinguished Play Award judge's commentary. "We placed second in our region which was quite a thrill to my students since they had never won a trophy. We have been invited to perform at the Georgia State Thespian Convention."—Carolen Hansard, Villa Rica, Ga., High School.

Another Dixon play: Big Trouble

See Aladdin McFaddin for a different version of the Arabian Nights.