October 21, 20262 min read

The State Drama Theatre of Uzbekistan took the scene with “Leyli and Majnoon” in Andijan

The State Drama Theatre of Uzbekistan took the scene with “Leyli and Majnoon” at the Fourth International Theatre Festival of TURKSOY held in the city of Andijan in Uzbekistan.

Adapted from Ali Sher Navo’i’s famous Epic of Divine Love, the play features Hayriddin Sultan, People’s Author of Uzbekistan, as literary consultant, and Alimjan Salimov as artistic director. Portraying love as a power that liberates the human soul from the bondage of the self and leads to spiritual freedom, the production uses the character of Majnoon to convey the journey from human love to divine love in an aesthetic language.

The play’s staging technique and philosophical depth also received extensive praise from the jury of the festival. Jury member Gavhar Zakirova noted that the production achieved flawless cohesion through its music and set design, making it one of the finest productions in Uzbekistan. Beibit Bakhtygereyev, meanwhile, emphasised that the work successfully mingled ancient, mystical and post-dramatic theatre, describing the reflection of Sufi philosophy, the anonymisation of the actors and the mirrored void set design as an innovative philosophical achievement.

Jury member Nurhan Uslu praised the way the theme of divine love was conveyed to the audience through a meditative atmosphere; whilst Feride Celilova expressed her appreciation for the production’s musical structure, reminding of ‘Mugham’ operas, and the tragic dimension of Majnoon’s character. Janysh Kulmambetov criticised the fact that the weight of the text at times overshadowed the physical action, pointing out that a more balanced connection needed to be established between words and physical action. Agamırat Baltayev, the Turkmen jury member, noted that his colleagues had covered all the key points, adding that the true judgement lay with the public and that the enthusiastic applause the play received was proof of its success.

Combining Sufi depth, innovative formal explorations and philosophical debates, “Leyli and Majnoon” stood out as one of the most notable performances of the Fourth International Theatre Festival of TURKSOY, leaving an indelible impression on both critics and theatre-goers alike.