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delmaamoun's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
2.25
Open ended… some clear themes “adapted” from memluk and ottoman history, and definitely some not so favorable nods to Islam despite it never being officially mentioned. Typical “east from a western point of view”
Other than that, mildly entertaining. I hope the last chapter brings on a more satisfactory ending.
Other than that, mildly entertaining. I hope the last chapter brings on a more satisfactory ending.
lnatal's review
3.0
From BBC Radio 4:
Tumanbay, the beating heart of a vast empire, is threatened by a rebellion in a far-off province and a mysterious force devouring the city from within.
Gregor (Rufus Wright), Master of the Palace Guard, is charged by Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) with the task of rooting out this insurgence and crushing it.
2/10: But there is another threat making its way by sea. As slave merchant Ibn (Nabil Elouahabi) awaits for his family to arrive in Tumanbay, sickness has broken out on the ship carrying them.
3/10: In the third episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty, fourteen year old daughter (Olivia Popica) of slave merchant Ibn (Nabil Elouahabi) is adrift at sea in a small boat and captive to an escaped slave (Akin Gazi). Now she must depend on her slave captor for her survival. Madu (Danny Ashok), the spoilt nephew of the Sultan, also has to grow up quickly as he swaps palace life for hard graft in the army.
4/10: In the fourth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt, Shajar, the Sultan's chief wife (Sarah Beck Mather), plots her son Madu's (Danny Ashok) succession to the throne. While Gregor, Master of the Palace Guard, is determined to discover what it is she has taken from the aged Hafiz and is having repaired in the workshop of a pair of artisans in the city. Marching with the army out to the provinces, Madu's slave find solace with an unlikely companion.
5/10: In the fifth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt, General Qulan (Christopher Fulford) finds the Provincial Governors less than enthusiastic as he arrives to gather the armies to fight rebel "queen" Maya. In Tumanbay, Gregor is under pressure to find the spies but his investigations keep leading him back to Shajar the Sultan's chief wife (Sarah Beck Mather) and a reliquary she has secreted away.
6/10: In the sixth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt, Tumanbay is in chaos after the murder of a highly placed individual. Heaven and her slave companion find themselves prisoners of a nomadic tribe in the desert. Having failed in his duty of keeping the Palace safe, Gregor attempts to unlock the secret of the missing reliquary and find out why it is worth killing for.
7/10: In the seventh episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty, the Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) dreams of victory against rebellious provincial leader Maya. Meanwhile Gregor (Rufus Wright) is in pursuit of missing slave-girl Sarah (Nina Yndis) and must venture into the catacombs beneath the city, haven to those who wish to escape the brutality of the City above.
8/10: n the eighth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty, the Sultan (Raad Rawi) is increasingly insecure and fearful for his life, so begins a purge of the Palace. Slave trader Ibn (Nabil Elouahabi), is reunited with the daughter he thought he had lost. And her slave companion finally comes face to face with Gregor (Rufus Wright), the man who stole his kingdom.
9/10: In the ninth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty, a trade delegation from across the ocean, brings to Tumanbay the very latest in war merchandise. Convinced of victory by the words of the prophet child, the Sultan (Raad Rawi) is now ready to march out with his armies and destroy rebellious provincial leader Maya. His nephew Madu (Danny Ashok) has only one desire - to escape the city with his army comrade and lover Daniel (Gareth Kennerley). But Daniel is not everything he seems.
10/10: The tenth and final episode of this epic saga of revenge, betrayal and deception, inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty. As the people of Tumanbay await news of the Sultan's (Raad Rawi) great victory, Gregor (Rufus Wright) the heartless player discovers he has a heart and that he has been played.
Epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt.
Music - Sacha Putnam
Sound Design - Steve Bond, Jon Ouin
Editors - Ania Przygoda, James Morgan
Producers - Emma Hearn, Nadir Khan, John Dryden
Written and Directed by John Dryden
A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06qcs6w
Tumanbay, the beating heart of a vast empire, is threatened by a rebellion in a far-off province and a mysterious force devouring the city from within.
Gregor (Rufus Wright), Master of the Palace Guard, is charged by Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) with the task of rooting out this insurgence and crushing it.
2/10: But there is another threat making its way by sea. As slave merchant Ibn (Nabil Elouahabi) awaits for his family to arrive in Tumanbay, sickness has broken out on the ship carrying them.
3/10: In the third episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty, fourteen year old daughter (Olivia Popica) of slave merchant Ibn (Nabil Elouahabi) is adrift at sea in a small boat and captive to an escaped slave (Akin Gazi). Now she must depend on her slave captor for her survival. Madu (Danny Ashok), the spoilt nephew of the Sultan, also has to grow up quickly as he swaps palace life for hard graft in the army.
4/10: In the fourth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt, Shajar, the Sultan's chief wife (Sarah Beck Mather), plots her son Madu's (Danny Ashok) succession to the throne. While Gregor, Master of the Palace Guard, is determined to discover what it is she has taken from the aged Hafiz and is having repaired in the workshop of a pair of artisans in the city. Marching with the army out to the provinces, Madu's slave find solace with an unlikely companion.
5/10: In the fifth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt, General Qulan (Christopher Fulford) finds the Provincial Governors less than enthusiastic as he arrives to gather the armies to fight rebel "queen" Maya. In Tumanbay, Gregor is under pressure to find the spies but his investigations keep leading him back to Shajar the Sultan's chief wife (Sarah Beck Mather) and a reliquary she has secreted away.
6/10: In the sixth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt, Tumanbay is in chaos after the murder of a highly placed individual. Heaven and her slave companion find themselves prisoners of a nomadic tribe in the desert. Having failed in his duty of keeping the Palace safe, Gregor attempts to unlock the secret of the missing reliquary and find out why it is worth killing for.
7/10: In the seventh episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty, the Sultan Al-Ghuri (Raad Rawi) dreams of victory against rebellious provincial leader Maya. Meanwhile Gregor (Rufus Wright) is in pursuit of missing slave-girl Sarah (Nina Yndis) and must venture into the catacombs beneath the city, haven to those who wish to escape the brutality of the City above.
8/10: n the eighth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty, the Sultan (Raad Rawi) is increasingly insecure and fearful for his life, so begins a purge of the Palace. Slave trader Ibn (Nabil Elouahabi), is reunited with the daughter he thought he had lost. And her slave companion finally comes face to face with Gregor (Rufus Wright), the man who stole his kingdom.
9/10: In the ninth episode of this epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty, a trade delegation from across the ocean, brings to Tumanbay the very latest in war merchandise. Convinced of victory by the words of the prophet child, the Sultan (Raad Rawi) is now ready to march out with his armies and destroy rebellious provincial leader Maya. His nephew Madu (Danny Ashok) has only one desire - to escape the city with his army comrade and lover Daniel (Gareth Kennerley). But Daniel is not everything he seems.
10/10: The tenth and final episode of this epic saga of revenge, betrayal and deception, inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty. As the people of Tumanbay await news of the Sultan's (Raad Rawi) great victory, Gregor (Rufus Wright) the heartless player discovers he has a heart and that he has been played.
Epic saga inspired by the Mamluk slave-dynasty of Egypt.
Music - Sacha Putnam
Sound Design - Steve Bond, Jon Ouin
Editors - Ania Przygoda, James Morgan
Producers - Emma Hearn, Nadir Khan, John Dryden
Written and Directed by John Dryden
A Goldhawk production for BBC Radio 4.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06qcs6w
katevane's review
5.0
In the Mamluk sultanate of Tumanbay, there is a sense of impending danger. The fearsome armies of Queen Maya are on the march, and her spies are believed to be everywhere in the walled city. There is constant suspicion in the city and the court.
Tumanbay is a society built by former slaves. The wise among them know their lives are contingent, that all they’ve achieved can be taken away. Their struggle is relentless, even – especially – if they are at the top. Nothing is as it seems and power is constantly shifting between competing factions. Torture and shame await those who fail.
This is wonderful drama, full of twists and moral ambiguity. There is a large cast, but the characters are vivid and distinctive so you soon know where you are, if not who to believe. There is Gregor, played by Rufus Wright, the Sultan’s head of security who combines ruthlessness and dry wit, and Shajar, the First Wife, who dominates the harem, along with others across the city and beyond it, whose significance only becomes apparent as the story develops. Theirs is a richly realised world but it is also a universal story, of what people will do for power – or to survive.
The sound is fantastic. It is almost a character in itself, lush and opulent and vital in situating you in the story – from the sultan’s court to the echoing dungeons to the crisp sound of waves on the shore.
Tumanbay shows what audio drama can do at its best, and why we love it. If you trust the listener you can conjure up palaces and walled cities and deserts and ships and armies. You can have a narrator who will confide in the listener while he deceives everyone else. You can have beauty and brutality, music and war. We don’t need pictures, just vision.
-
This review first appeared on https://whatbigearsblog.wordpress.com - my blog celebrating radio drama and podcasts
Tumanbay is a society built by former slaves. The wise among them know their lives are contingent, that all they’ve achieved can be taken away. Their struggle is relentless, even – especially – if they are at the top. Nothing is as it seems and power is constantly shifting between competing factions. Torture and shame await those who fail.
This is wonderful drama, full of twists and moral ambiguity. There is a large cast, but the characters are vivid and distinctive so you soon know where you are, if not who to believe. There is Gregor, played by Rufus Wright, the Sultan’s head of security who combines ruthlessness and dry wit, and Shajar, the First Wife, who dominates the harem, along with others across the city and beyond it, whose significance only becomes apparent as the story develops. Theirs is a richly realised world but it is also a universal story, of what people will do for power – or to survive.
The sound is fantastic. It is almost a character in itself, lush and opulent and vital in situating you in the story – from the sultan’s court to the echoing dungeons to the crisp sound of waves on the shore.
Tumanbay shows what audio drama can do at its best, and why we love it. If you trust the listener you can conjure up palaces and walled cities and deserts and ships and armies. You can have a narrator who will confide in the listener while he deceives everyone else. You can have beauty and brutality, music and war. We don’t need pictures, just vision.
-
This review first appeared on https://whatbigearsblog.wordpress.com - my blog celebrating radio drama and podcasts
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