Rumi: The Musical – London Coliseum

Nadim Naaman and Ramin Karimloo in Rumi: The Musical at the London Coliseum. Picture: Jane Hobson

Rumi: The Musical at the London Coliseum.

A new musical, taking its inspiration from the life of the 13th century poet, philosopher and musician Rumi made its debut in the epic arena of the London Coliseum.

It is a perfect setting for the telling of such a phenomenon – Rumi and his teachings have been revered across the world, still relevant in scholastic and societal groups today.

Great to see the venue present fresh original material, and even better to see representation of Middle Eastern and Arabic stories given centre-stage.

The story revolves around Rumi’s relationship with his peer and philosophical sparring partner Shams, and seeks to explore his understanding of what would become his greatest work – on love, tolerance and peace.

It’s an enormous body of work and topic to explore, so it’s perhaps understandable that especially in Act I, a lot of the plot tension is lost amongst the exposition of the philosophy. Dana Al Fardan’s lyricism is reverent to the source material, but often gets lost in its own complexity.

Nadim Naaman and Ramin Karimloo respectively bring huge passion to their portrayals. With both being at the top of their game, they are a safe bet throughout in terms of giving the audience what they want.

Unfortunately there are quite large issues with pacing and general dynamic within the show. It feels occasionally like we’re watching the same scene and the same torch song over and over again – we end up with nowhere to go and the focus drifts.

There are some really lovely moments in terms of the choreography – Anjali Mehra’s blending of Western and Middle Eastern dance styles brings a great energy to the production.

Although the score functions well, potentially there is a lot more to be explored – especially considering Rumi’s musical exploits. It’s as if there is an opportunity missed here to integrate the Western and non-Western instrumentation – often it feels like a Western score has been treated with a filter of Middle Eastern instrumentation, rather than risking the tonalities and potential that these oft unheard instruments can provide.

There are many for whom the show was a perfect evening – indeed, standing ovations and great joy were displayed by the audience. It’s important to consider that however the story is formed, the phenomenon of Rumi means a great amount to many, and the importance of its inclusion is to be celebrated.

Aura Simon