The Stage

Mahabharata

Published Friday 27 April 2007 at 11:15 by Gavin Roebuck

Reducing India’s greatest epic, the Mahabharata, over a lengthy 100,000 stanzas, to a show under three hours is an achievement by the creative team.

Performed by a cast of 26 - including the musicians - the work focuses on the story seen through the eyes of Draupadi, confidently performed by Natasha Jayetileke.

She defies her destiny to become the wife shared by five brothers and, lost in a game of dice, is the catalyst for a terrible war.

It isn’t a dance work, a play or a musical but a mixture, and it is necessary to read the programme notes to really understand the characters and the action.

The dance content seemed a mixture of traditional Kathak and Bollywood moves which helped to chase the action along, well performed by the dancers including Dwaipayan Das, Abhilasha Chawdhary and Subrata Pandit.

Gary Pillai gave a masterful performance as Krishna, the Lord of the Universe. Paul M Meston as Drona/Shakuni gave an excellent interpretation of two challenging roles and Eamonn O’Dwyer as Yudhistira, the legitimate heir to the throne, was superb in his presentation of a truthful character with a weakness for gambling.

This is a show which should do good business in areas with a high Indian population and, as the show progresses, no doubt some polishing and editing will take place.