mahabharata - sadler’s wells
A stage production of the of the Indian epic tale told through dance, or so we thought. My first time at Sadlers Wells theatre and I was expecting some magic really, knowing that they are famous for dance productions. But this was nothing like the kathak extravaganza that I was expecting.
Knowing that there would be music by Nitin Sawhney was enough really to get me there, and my wife had booked the tickets well in advance knowing this. And of course browsing through the programme just before the performance whetted our appetite even more.
The introduction was promising with all the great rolls of cloth across the stage but I could feel the boredom brewing up very soon. When a production or performance or film is captivating then you don’t really notice what you are thinking or feeling but are fully connected with it. But soon I was aware of my posture and how long it would be until the break.
Apart from a short section of what appeared to be kathak dance during the tail-end of the first half of the performance the rest was neither one thing or the other. Was it a musical? Was it a play? Was it theatre? Or was it dance? Maybe an opera? It was a mish-mash of all these genres but failing to be neither one of them.
The dance was very simplistic and looked amateurish. The dialogue was a sort of wannabe Shakespearean. And the operatic elements seemed to me to be completely out of place. The whole drapery thing was a bit overdone and the acting seemed a little devoid of feeling. The only thing that seemed to hold it together was the music. If it was not for that I think I would have left after the interval.
A good effort, but not quite up to the mark. But hey, just my opinion, I’m no expert.