In the lap of the gods

[DigitaLVampirE]

THE LAST TIME MAHABHARATA came to Scotland, they had to build a new venue to accommodate it. In 1988, Glasgow's Tramway was deemed the only space in the UK large and versatile enough for director, Peter Brook's epic production. The former tram shed turned museum was transformed into a theatrical space, and history was made. Almost 20 years later, Mahabharata is heading this way again - only this time, Edinburgh's Festival Theatre is more than adequate.

With over 74,000 verses, Mahabharata is one of the longest epic poems in the world. Condensing that down to nine hours of theatre, and then six hours of film, was a huge undertaking for Peter Brook in the 1980s. Yet somehow, a new production touring the UK has reduced the action to just over two hours.

Co-produced by London's Sadler's Wells theatre, the show is a mix of dance, drama and music. An original score by award-winning UK composer Nitin Sawhney forms the backbone of the production, with Kathak (a narrative Indian dance form, characterised by fast footwork and spins) choreography by Gauri Sharma Tripathi, who has previously created work for acclaimed dancer, Akram Khan. The show began as a two-week workshop in 2005, after which director, Stuart Wood concluded: "It's now time for this extraordinary story to be seen again in a new light."

The original text of Mahabharata is attributed to Vyasa - a much revered figure in the Hindu faith, and dates back to the third century. In its full version, the story slowly introduces each character, and explores countless layers. The show about to arrive in Edinburgh, however, cuts straight to the chase. Two hostile families, a beautiful princess caught in the middle, and the war to end all wars. Overseeing events is Krishna, the Hindu Lord, played by actor Gary Pillai.

"In its entirety, Mahabharata is eight times longer than Homer's Iliad and Odyssey put together," says Pillai. "So to cut that down to under two and a half hours is quite an achievement. And I don't think it's lost anything, because the central narrative about a warring family is universal and has lust, anger, betrayal, murder - all the things that make up a good story." Having been attracted to the production, and its combined use of drama, dance and music, Pillai was somewhat thrown at being offered the part of Krishna.

"Initially I was slightly apprehensive," admits Pillai. "Because how do you play somebody who is so omnipresent? What daunted me most was that so many people have a very opinionated view on Krishna, and I had to take that into account." Opening night at Sadler's Wells was a nail-biting affair for Pillai, with many Hindus in the audience.

"Krishna is said to be in a constant state of ecstasy," says Pillai. "But if I were to portray him like that, it would be too one-dimensional. So I had to give him mortal qualities, and people were coming up to me afterwards and saying they liked the way I made him angry at times. They were very happy with my portrayal, which meant a lot to me."

Playing an icon has had other consequences for Pillai. Before walking on stage, the actor has to be covered in blue paint from head to toe. "I'm the last one out of the theatre at night," he laughs. "It takes about an hour to put the paint on and I really have to scrub in the shower afterwards to get it all off. I also have to get sprayed with fixant, so that when I touch the other actors on set, they don't turn blue, too."

Pillai is just one of 27 performers taking part in the show. Drawn from the UK, Europe and India, the cast comprises actors, singers and dancers - including eight world-class exponents of Kathak. For choreographer, Gauri Sharma Tripathi, working with such a diverse range of abilities proved challenging for all concerned.

"It was difficult initially because some of them are theatre people, not dance," says Tripathi. "But after the first week they warmed up. I had to break them in, even the ones used to dancing in musicals, because it's difficult to keep up with the counts of the Kathak style. But it's also been fascinating to see the different styles working together."


'It has lust, anger, betrayal, murder - all the things that make up a good story'
Given that India has several classical dance styles to offer, does Tripathi feel that Kathak is the right one for Mahabharata? "I do, but then I'm biased," she laughs. "Kathak comes from the Northern Belt of India, just like Mahabharata - so it would be more logical to use that style as the framework. And Kathak has the pulse of the common man, you don't need to understand the language."

One of the most important elements of the production has been authenticity. With everyone involved keen to inject as many key aspects from the original poem as possible. For Tripathi, Mahabharata was part of her childhood ... so respecting tradition while searching for something new was essential.

"I grew up in India and was always fascinated by the story," she says. "And we've made sure that all the references and prayers have been properly placed, so nobody can pick them up and say 'that's wrong'. But the costumes, dance, structure and music are very fresh in this rendition. I found the whole process very interesting - it's been a collaboration in the truest sense of the word."

By KELLY APTER
2 Jun 2007