MAHABHARATA till 8 July

Tour
MAHABHARATA: Music, orchestration, arrangement: Nitin Sawhney, Writer: Stephen Clark
Runs: 2h 35m, one interval.
Birmingham Alexandra Theatre till 30 June; Leicester De Montfort Hall: 2 – 8 July
Review: Rod Dungate, Alexandra Theatre, 27 June 2007

First-rate
This production, starting from Sadler's Wells, offers us an engaging glimpse into the Mahabharata – a complex tale that’s a cornerstone of Indian scriptures. The story is told through dance (Kathak based), spoken dialogue and song; elements of a musical, but it’s not that – it’s a different form of story-telling. The whole show is underpinned by Nitin Sawhney’s lovely score – reflecting our times – it is a fusion of Eastern and Western musical traditions. Matching the tone of the performance perfectly, it ensures all is kept buoyant.

The Mahabharata’s an intriguing story. It abounds in rich and mystical story threads (some of which can be found in the Christian stories.) It contains, for instance, a ball of living flesh that becomes 100 brothers, the first of which must be killed but when he isn’t becomes the evil motivating force of the story. There is a Princess who is simultaneously married to five brothers, there’s a mother who floats her first-born down a river in a crib. There is love, there are battles, there’s even a game of dice. How else could such a tale be told but in song, dance, drama?

However, the production isn’t just of historical interest; there are strong messages relevant to our lives today. ‘Duty is the way to enlightenment,’ says Krishna. I much admire the clarity with which both the story and the themes are revealed.

Gorgeous costumes, haunting songs. Gary Pillai (Krisha) proves himself a highly skilled performer as he gently leads us through the tale. Natasha Jayetileke completely holds our attention as the Princess Draupadi – she easefully takes us through joy and sorrow.

This is first class entertainment – as serious as it is popular and as accessible to all cultures as it is Indian in origin.

Krishna: Gary Pillai
Draupadi: Natasha Jayetileke
Drona: Paul M Meston
Yudhistira: Eamonn O’Dwyer
Bhima: William Kenning
Arjuna: Marcos Jose James
Nakula: Sandip Mallick
Sahadeva: Sujit Karmakar
Duryodhana: Michael Matus
Dushasana: Angelo Smimmo
Karna: Elia Lo Tauro
Kunthi: Medha Divekar
Shakuni: Paul M Meston
Dancers: Abhilasha Chawdhary, Dwaipayan Das, Sujit Karmaker, Sandip Mallick (Shiva), Subrata Pandit, Payal Patel, Angelo Smimmo, Elia Lo Tauro]

Direction: Stuart Wood
Choreography: Gauri Sharma Tripathi
Set Design: Angela Davies
Costume Design: Angela Davies and Janet Bird
Puppetry and Object Animation: Sue Buckmaster
Lighting Design: Chahine Yavroyan

2007-06-27 15:52:54