The Bard’s many faces

Kathakali is a classical dance-theatre of India. The dance, a complex gestural language involving hands, face and eyes, a broad range of song and percussive music, elaborate make-up and spectacular costumes to make Kathakali a total art. French choreographer Annette Leday and Australian playwright David McRuvie are adapting Shakespeare’s famous tragedy, King Lear, into Kathakali. The production titled Kathakali-King Lear was performed at prestigious venues throughout the world. Since its creation, Kathakali-King Lear has become a reference in the field of inter-cultural performances. It has been the subject of enthusiasm and passionate polemics, as well as of numerous academic studies. The production will be staged at Kalakshetra Foundation on December 8. Ahead of its premiere in the city, Annette, the director of the play opens up about how they adapted a Shakespearean play into Kathakali.

“Kathakali and Elizabethan theatre are very different art forms. Adapting a Shakespeare play for Kathakali has similar problems and opportunities as say adapting a play for ballet or for opera — there will be loss and gain. The key is to choose the right play. Just as Romeo and Juliet has been brilliantly adapted for Ballet and Othello for opera (but not Julius Caesar or Hamlet), we think King Lear (KL) is very suited to Kathakali. First, unlike his other plays, KL has two parallel stories: by presenting only the central story of Lear and his three daughters we can have the essence of Shakespeare in a simple but powerful story which is appropriate for Kathakali; second the themes of KL — kingship, dowry, love story, renunciation of the world, war - are central Kathakali themes; third, KL, unlike other tragedies, is based on an older English theatrical tradition of character-types — as is Kathakali,” says Annette, about the adaptation.

The director assures that Kathakali will do justice to the play, King Lear and the narrative will be properly conveyed. “Certainly there will be a loss — but less than might be thought at first. Much of the great poetry of KL, for example, has a prose simplicity (this was Shakespeare’s genius) and translates well into the Malayalam text. We prefer to think about what we gain! There is extraordinary power in the Kathakali veshams - especially the Katti vesham of King Lear. Combine that with the power of the Kerala percussion, the beauty of the song, the expressive dance, the spectacular make-up. This is the gain we seek. This is not like any King Lear you have ever seen.” The artists in this performance are prominent Kathakali artistes from Kerala.