Afeif Ismail's SON OF THE NILE is a magical, hilarious and moving play set on the banks of the great River Nile in Sudan. The story is told by the River itself, and what follows is a thrilling, roaring story of a Chief's broken promise with the beautiful and just crocodile Queen of The Nile and the attempts to put this crime right. The Chief's son is stolen by a power mad crocodile acting on the Queen's orders, but in his hatred of humans he goes too far and steals another baby, a fisherman's son. The super hero Buzzagully, the Fastest Swimmer in the World, is sent in pursuit. Eventually the Chief's wise and powerful Father strikes another contract with the Queen, and the children are returned: but which is the real heir to the throne? This play has a pace as fast as an African river rapid, and it is full of funny and sharply drawn characters, like the dreaming Hippo, the Father's faithful steed- a real star for me- and the evil Croc's sarcastic and cowardly sidekick. There is also a rather sardonic, but wise, turtle earth mother.The Chief's Father is an image of a Sudanese elder that the world needs to see: intelligent, reasonable, powerful and kind. Comic fights litter the scenes, and the play ends in a huge and hilarious epic underwater battle between the rebellious bad crocs and their human, animal and mermaid (yes, mermaid) opponents. Dr. David Moody, Co-Director of the first production of the Son of the Nile