A striking and colourful story of inheritance and the fight for the throne

Set over 2,000 years ago during the nomadic empire in Mongolia, The Mongol Kahn digs up the nation’s ancient roots and gives us a spectacular display of Mongolian royalty, familial hierarchies, military power, and love vs leadership. Adapted from a tragedy by Lkhagvasuren Bavuu and based during the Hunnu Empire, this show’s fictional narrative centres on the king Archung Kahn, played by Erdenebileg Ganbold, who, while managing his state, has to deal with two of his queens, Tsetser (played by Uranchimeg Urtnasan) and Gurgel (played by Dulguun Odkhuu) each giving birth to a son, a few days apart. The issue of who is the rightful heir becomes the central issue of the plot as it is revealed that the Kahn’s Cancellor Egereg, played by Bold-Erdene Sugar, has been having an affair with one of the queens. We are then taken on a pretty crazy journey of deceit, violence, and trickery (some baby-swapping is involved!).

The plot line is fairly easy to follow as the Mongolian script is translated into English on three screens surrounding the stage. At points, the dialogue veers towards being a bit too cheesy, and I found issue with moments of domestic violence which were unnecessary and uncomfortable. Resulting from the nature of the show’s subject of succession to the throne, throughout, the female characters are controlled by the men around them, expected to be these unwaveringly subservient maternal figures. This could have been handled better by more lines being granted to them which would have allowed for more complexity and richness of their characters.

However where the plot seems to fail slightly, it was the staging, choreography, the set and the costumes which picked it right back up again. I have to mention the dragon-like puppet used in the second half which was particularly impressive, breathing smoke through its nostrils. The cast for The Mongol Kahn, was massive, over 50 dancers commanded the stage choreographed by by Bayarbaatar Davaasuren and Khashkhuu Khatankhuyag, with such elegance and synchronisation, always bringing the energy needed to lift the production back up. During battle or court scenes, the dancers sometimes held positions which made them look more like objects than bodies, so still and precise. It’s fast and expressive, and just overall very fun to watch. The choreography was elevated even more by the costumes. The costume designs reflected what the Hunnu Empire’s kahns, queens, and military would have worn, adding to the cultural richness of the show. The headpieces were spectacular and at one point a group of dancers come on stage with huge dresses made from large floaty fabric, which they wafted around stage dramatically, appearing as white tulips one minute, and beautiful conch shells the next.

The Mongol Kahn is a spectacle which comes down to taste; it is loud, brave, unrestrained, and I think, you either love it or hate it. At the London Coliseum, The Mongol Kahn offers something different and something which is visually fascinating. I believe it’s worth the watch. Check it out here: https://londoncoliseum.org/whats-on/the-mongol-khan/.