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The Magic Hour: Indian Kathakali dance interpretation of Shakespeare’s Othello
June 2, 2016 @ 6:30 pm - June 12, 2016 @ 8:30 pm AEST
Internationally acclaimed Indian dancer and actor Arjun Raina has astounded audiences all over the world with his vibrant melding of traditional Indian Kathakali dance with the works of William Shakespeare. Since moving to Victoria he has extended the reach of his highly imaginative recreations of the Bard to include practitioners in the late twentieth century Japanese dance forms of Butoh and Bodyweather. Trained in classical dance in India and in the British acting tradition in London, Raina is ideally placed to bring the two cultures together, and for his current production he introduces a further element – Odissi, the oldest surviving dance form from India.
Raina’s new show The Magic Hour is an exciting and flamboyant dance theatre interpretation of Shakespeare’s Othello, which opens at La Mama Courthouse in Drummond Street, Carlton on Thursday 2 June and plays until Sunday 12 June. The Magic Hour brings Raina together with previous collaborators and co-creators, local Butoh and Bodyweather dancers Helen Smith and Peter Fraser and for the first time includes Lillian Warrum, an Odissi dancer of American descent, and two Australian actors with an Indian background, Ezekiel Day and Cherian Jacob. The group uses the appropriation of Shakespeare’s text as common ground, fusing it with Asian art forms to create a post-colonial commentary on contemporary events through the playful subversion of an English icon. In the process a rich multicultural theatre has been created which will in turn amaze, amuse, stimulate and move us.
Arjun Raina’s previous work with Kathakali and Shakespeare has been performed at some of the finest theatre festivals in Europe including Kampnagel – Hamburg, Germany, where it was curated along with the work of Pina Bausch and Sasha Waltz and has since been translated into Japanese, French and Russian. Lovers of Shakespeare and lovers of Asian dance alike will not want to miss this cutting-edge performance, presented by Cicero’s Circle Theatre Company.
at La Mama Courthouse, 349 Drummond Street, Carlton Wed 6.30pm | Thu –Sat 7.30pm | Sun 4.00pm
Tickets: Full $25 | Concession $15
Available via: www.lamama.com.au | 03 9347 6142
Media enquiries: Cherian Jacob 0410 928 859
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