my obsession
So sheba_finesse and I went to see A Disappearing Number tonight.
Which turned out to be one of those rare theatre experiences where the intellectual and emotional content offered very little engagement but, my god, was made utterly compelling by the way it was staged and structured in terms of time shifts and place shifts, this utterly brilliant breaking down and turning around of the actual set, and the sheer innovative blend of dance and music and projection with conventional narrative.
And I had no idea it would be set for a significant part in India as well as feature Indian actors in Indian roles. As we were discussing, I don't think I would have gone had I known. So I was quite surprised to find myself reacting as positively as I did, really appreciating seeing people of the same skin colour on the stage and recognising their speech rhythms, even understanding some of the non-English words. So glad to not see my racial heritage depicted as a cariacature or stereotype. I guess it's the same reason I watch Bollywood films, every now and then needing that sense of identification.
And oh man, the Indian dance. I couldn't remember if it was kathak or bharatnatyam or if that's the same thing --- I doubt --- but my god, how awesome it was to see it again and remember how awesome it felt to actually do the very basic steps. There's such a glorious symmetry to Indian classical dance and this was made all the better by having them in Western clothing so the intricacy of their leg work wasn't obscured in the least. Argh. So awesome.
Four curtain calls. Totally deserved.
Which turned out to be one of those rare theatre experiences where the intellectual and emotional content offered very little engagement but, my god, was made utterly compelling by the way it was staged and structured in terms of time shifts and place shifts, this utterly brilliant breaking down and turning around of the actual set, and the sheer innovative blend of dance and music and projection with conventional narrative.
And I had no idea it would be set for a significant part in India as well as feature Indian actors in Indian roles. As we were discussing, I don't think I would have gone had I known. So I was quite surprised to find myself reacting as positively as I did, really appreciating seeing people of the same skin colour on the stage and recognising their speech rhythms, even understanding some of the non-English words. So glad to not see my racial heritage depicted as a cariacature or stereotype. I guess it's the same reason I watch Bollywood films, every now and then needing that sense of identification.
And oh man, the Indian dance. I couldn't remember if it was kathak or bharatnatyam or if that's the same thing --- I doubt --- but my god, how awesome it was to see it again and remember how awesome it felt to actually do the very basic steps. There's such a glorious symmetry to Indian classical dance and this was made all the better by having them in Western clothing so the intricacy of their leg work wasn't obscured in the least. Argh. So awesome.
Four curtain calls. Totally deserved.