Kathakali King Lear .

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Shakespeare dances to Kathakali
London: Never before has the madness of King Lear been
depicted in Indian dance form and British theatregoers are
in for a rare treat this summer when a Kerala-based dance
group arrives in Britain to give its rendition of
Kathakali-King Lear on the London stage.
The prestigious Globe Theatre, historically home to
generations of the Bard’s work, will for the first time
feature Indian classical dance in all its traditional
costumes and elaborate headgear. But instead of the
Mahabharata or the Ramayana as its starting point, Kathakali
will depict the story of affection, greed and betrayal
unfolding between an ageing Lear and his three daughters
Regan, Goneril and Cordelia.
The production, presented by the Keli Company, forms part of
the Globe’s mission to explore the impact of Shakespeare on
foreign cultures by inviting an international company each
year to interpret a dramatic work in its own unique way.
In the past, there has been extensive debate over the
rendition of Shakespeare into dance with purists arguing
that the linguistic beauty, the essence of the playwright’s
appeal, is lost. “Such interpretations are not unusual.
Romeo and Juliet for example, has often been danced by
British theatre companies in ballet form. Lear, as tragedy,
no doubt lends itself to the intense rhythm of Indian
dance,” says Tiffany Foster, an official from the Globe.
The attempt to introduce a comic element by Indian
choreographer K. Nair involves some cross-dressing in which
two of Lear’s daughters, Regan and Goneril, are played by
men sporting exaggerated busts.
All the songs, however, will be in Malayalam with a
Frenchwoman, Annette Leday, playing the key role of
Cordelia. The plot has of course been simplified and of all
the characters, it is the Fool who has been given the most
expressive dance sequences.
Notably, Kathakali-King Lear is the third such ambitious
project undertaken by the Globe. Two years ago, the theatre
was filled with 46 Zulu tribesmen rendering an African
version of Macbeth based on the legendary local figure Shaka
Zulu. This was followed last year by a Cuban rendition of
the Tempest in Spanish. “Each year, we search the world for
the most indigenous and creative expression of Shakespeare
and invite them to perform in London,“ explained Ms Foster.
The performance, which lasts almost three hours, has been
given a two-week run at the Globe in Southwark from July
6-17. The Keli Company, which has become renowned for its
dance-drama productions in South India, has toured Britain
once before in 1990.