The classic Hindu epic makes for an invigorating theatrical experience
Report and photos by Arshdeep Kaur
The Mahābhārata is the longest epic in the world, and to bring it on a global stage is a massive undertaking. But Mahabharata: The Journey Begins by Toronto’s Why Not Theatre doesn’t just tell the story, it conveys the wisdom of dharma and it makes you feel story. To challenge the status quo and make the Mahābhārata accessible to international audiences, the production started as a large-scale performance at the Shaw Festival in 2023. This year, Why Not Theatre secured a Banff Centre creative residency to rebuild and condense the show for its forthcoming world tour.
On January 25, Banff Centre opened up the rehearsal of Mahabharata’s Part I: Karma (70 mins) to an audience with $45 ticket price. There were no costumes, no elaborate props (coz they had been shipped to Australia for the tour – just actors, live music, and storytelling. And still, the theatre was nearly full. The performance was playfully narrated, expressively acted, and magnetic. The audience clapped and cheered between scenes, completely absorbed in the world of Pandavs and their back stories.
In the Q&A session after the rehearsal, the directors Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes explained that this production stands on three pillars at its heart: storytelling, ecocide, and dharma. It begins with the story of King Janamejaya, who wants revenge for his father’s death and seeks to destroy all the snakes on Earth. But instead of focusing on Arjuna, like most retellings, this version shifts the perspective to Akshita, the snake. Akshita stopped the snake massacre because the cycle of revenge can never end, and brought attention to the impact of karma and dharma on all beings, not just the privileged ones. He started the narration to explain why Pandavas fought with their Cousins Kouravas for Dharma and not for Justice. This adaptation interprets Dharma as something more fluid: empathy. The creators want the audience to leave with a sense of interconnectedness, with the idea that we are all one family, responsible for each other, and that we need to take care of each other.
Storytelling is woven into the structure of the production to honour the many ways Mahābhārata has been told over the years. The show starts with narration at an intimate fireside, then expands into theatrical performance with Kathakali dance, and eventually transforms into a contemporary cinematic experience with props and technological integrations. In the second part they adapt the European theatre styles and perform an operatic rendition of the Bhagavad Gita. According to the creators, opera is the best way to capture its emotional weight.
A live band of six musicians accompanied the show with classical Indian music. They consumed the whole space, the air and the audience. The flute and tabla elevated the emotions on stage so much that I was melting in my seat. I felt the flute reaching inside me and stirring my something deep in my mind. And the dance? Unforgettable. The performance of the Kathakali dance by Kunti, Queen of Kuru, during the birth of the Pandavas was packed with energy, innocence and elegance and is ingrained in my brain forever. Each tap on the floor accompanied by the tabla was sacred. She was conjuring the Gods right in front of us. King Drupada’s Tāṇḍava (a sacred Hindu dance) was at the ending of the rehearsal – the perfect ending that left the audience wanting more. He circled around a ring of red powder on the stage, calling upon Shiva for revenge. Full of power. Rage. Devotion. Grief. It felt like an invocation of something beyond the stage. The shankh blowing, the synchronized chants of Om Namah Shivaya, the erasure of the red circle as he spun—it was pure, visceral power. Almost transcendental.
The production is inspired by the books Jaya by Devdutt Pattanaik and Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling by Carole Satyamurti. The directors focused on conveying the meaning and feeling behind the text instead of just boring excess detail. The show has a lot of movement and sound thats makes the story feel more immersive.
For the world tour, the directors have split the actual production into two parts to make the longest epic more digestible. Part I is Karma (2h 40m). The open rehearsal contained scenes from this part. The idea behind Karma is the life that we inherit and It has scenes of the birth of the Pandavas, their training and the political tension. In part II Dharma (2h 15m), they will show the war, its mass destruction and lessons of Bhagavad Gita. They have added a Khana and Kahani (75 min) part between the two: a community meal and storytelling session over a traditional Indian vegetarian meal [see video below]. A storyteller will share myths and interpretations to make the audience part of the experience.
I have read the stories of Mahabharata many times, but this show made me see it in a way I never had before. I was inside the story. I could feel the heaviness of the choices and grief the consequences that were yet to come. The expressions, the rhythms, the dance—it’s all still playing in my mind. If you get the chance to watch it, please do. Because this isn’t just a retelling of an ancient epic. It’s a chance to live it.
Part 1 and Part 2 can be seen in Canada at the Babs Asper Theatre, Ottowa, May 13-24, as part of the National Arts Centre’s 2024-2025 season.
Mahabharata
Created and written by Ravi Jain and Miriam Fernandes
Using poetry from Carole Satyamurti’s Mahabharata: A Modern Retelling
Directed by Ravi Jain
With associate director Miriam Fernandes
Why Not Theatre
https://whynot.theatre/
Upcoming shows:
Perth Festival, Perth Australia
Feb 8-16, 2025
website
National Arts Centre, Ottawa
May 13-24, 2025
website
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