KATHAKALI-KING LEAR At The Royal Opera House...Watch The Revival Of A Famous Intercultural Production...
December 7, 2018 4:56:58 PM IST MTG editorial
Get ready to watch a revival of the KATHAKALI- KING LEAR, directed by Annette Leday and adapted by David McRuvie. This is an intercultural performance that combines the four century old Kathakali dance form with the Shakespearean tragedy.
Taking place in collaboration with the Alliance Française de Bombay, Avid Learning and Royal Opera House, Mumbai, the production originally premiered in 1989. It has since been performed in prestigious venues around the world for over a decade. Since its creation, it has become a reference in the field of intercultural performance and has been the object of enthusiasm and passionate polemics, as well as of numerous academic studies. Since 1989, the company has created many other choreographies of contemporary design which have always featured Indian performers who participated in the Kathakali-KING LEAR.
This performance is a revival of the original production and will feature the generation of artists who performed the very first iteration of this piece. All the written documents and videos produced during the creation in 1989 have been carefully preserved which will allow a rapid and faithful reconstruction of the staging and the choreography.
After touring in India this year, it will be performed at the Théâtre dela Ville in Paris in April 2019, marking the 30th anniversary of its creation.
The Adaptation:
In Kathakali the emphasis is on the dramatic elaboration of relatively simple intrigues. Unlike any other Shakespearean tragedy, King Lear is made up of two parallel intrigues, that of Lear and his three daughters and that of Gloucester and his two sons. By suppressing the Gloucester material, the Lear story stands out in its powerful simplicity. This plot corresponds precisely to the theatrical criteria of Kathakali, both in its length and in the number of characters involved.
The Synopsis:
Scene 1. King Lear Divides His Kingdom Scene 2. The Departure of Cordelia and France Scene 3. At Goneril's Palace Scene 4. At Regan's Palace Scene 5. The Storm Scene 6. The Return of Cordelia and France Scene 7. The Reconciliation of Lear and Cordelia. Scene 8. The Battle Scene 9. The Death of Lear
The Royal Opera House provides a unique platform in the city for people to encounter the breadth of the performing and visual Arts.
Date & Time: Thursday, 13th December 2018 | 6:30 pm - 7:00 pm - Registration | 7:00 pm - 8:45 pm - Performance. Venue: Royal Opera House, Mama Parmanand Marg, Mumbai - 400 004.
*Mumbai Theatre Guide takes no responsibility for change in schedule.
