THE CURSE OF THE PHARAOHS
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It’s easy to see how a synopsis of the play, whose focus is the discovery of King Tut’s tomb, might have intrigued the folks at Interplay, where it’s receiving its Chicago premiere. Based on archaeologist Howard Carter’s expeditions in the late teens and early 20s with his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon, and his sponsor’s daughter, Lady Evelyn, The Curse of the Pharaohs promises sophisticated entertainment on the order of an Agatha Christie novel, complete with dry British wit, romantic exchanges between Carter and Lady Evelyn, and of course the legendary curse.
Brooks takes us from jolly old England to the Valley of the Kings, where Carter uncovers the treasures that would have people lining up outside the Field Museum more than 50 years later. But what seems at first a magnificent discovery does turn into a curse to those involved: Carter becomes obsessed with the tomb, Lady Evelyn’s love for him goes unrequited, and Lord Carnarvon falls suddenly ill. And Carter is never able to enjoy the fruits of his discovery because an argument over territorial rights leaves the artifacts in the hands of the Egyptians.
