Without wishing to be culturally insensitive, this extravaganza about Genghis Khan’s predecessors is hilariously awful. It’s performed in Mongolian with English surtitles, and purports to offer an elevated, tourism-baiting introduction to Mongolian culture and history. Instead, it tells a short, thin tale of stupidity and cruelty at interminable length.
The lead actors mostly strike attitudes at the forestage and declaim their lines. Behind and around them, 60-plus dancers and acrobalancers, in traditional costumes or hideously flayed and bloodied bodysuits, vibe to the mood.
