From Press Reports
KAUAI, HAWAII, November 26, 2005: HPI doesn’t know what it all means but 2005 has been a most inspired year for the creators of Hindu themed theatre worldwide. For example:
In February the dance drama called Lord Ganesha ran at The Johannesburg Civic Theatre’s Tesson Theatre from February 22 to February 27 according to iafrica.com. The story, written by Devan Moonsamy, produced by Mannie Moonsamy and choreographed by Jayesperi Moope, revolves around the great Lord Siva and his family, with his eldest son, Lord Ganesha, taking the lead role.
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In October the Moscow Times reported that Russian ballet stars staged a revival of “The Blue God,” first danced in Paris at the 1912 Saison Russe of impresario Sergei Diaghilev. Joining Bolshoi dancers Ilze Liepa and Nikolai Tsiskaridze were soloists and the corps de ballet of the Kremlin Ballet. Acclaimed Canadian-born choreographer, Wayne Eagling, adapted the scenario which was originally based on a Hindu story and set it to the music of Russian composer Alexander Scriabin. Following the premiere, the work was due to become a regular part of the Kremlin Ballet’s repertoire.
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In early November the Takarazuka Revue Company, the famous all-female theater troupe from Japan, staged a revue titled “The Soul of Siva” in Seoul, Korea. Korea Times reports that the show begins under the premise that Siva, the God who created dance, is born again and comes to New York. This piece is to become part of the regular repertoire. With overseas tours, the troupe, comprising five teams, stage around 930 performances of its authentic Japanese musicals for 2.3 million viewers each year.
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The Sun Times reports that on November 19 the story of “Mango Leaf Magic” kicks off the 80th-anniversary season of Chicago Playworks for Families and Young Audiences at DePaul University’s Merle Reskin Theatre. In the play the Little Green God, cast in stone in a Hindu temple in the bustling port city of Durban, South Africa, notices the young fruit vendor, Moonsammy, because he stands out in contrast to all the other people who gather in the temple. “They all exhaust the Little Green God with their demands for things for themselves,” says Ann Wakefield, the play’s director. So the Little Green God rewards Moonsammy with three magic mango leaves that he uses not for himself but to rescue a beautiful girl who has been imprisoned in a tower by her greedy uncle.
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In New York, the Playwrights Horizons engagement of Christopher Durang’s new dark comedy, Miss Witherspoon, a co-production with McCarter Theatre, began November 11 Off-Broadway according to Playbill. Kristine Nielsen stars. Emily Mann directs. Opening is November 29 at PH’s Mainstage on West 42nd Street. PH explains the work this way: “In life, Veronica was a lapsed Catholic — so why is she spending eternity in Purgatory with a Hindu spirit guide who calls her Miss Witherspoon? And why is she continually being sent back to earth to live lives she doesn’t particularly want to lead? Will she open herself up to enlightenment and learn her place in the world? God only knows — or someone like God, anyway. Miss Witherspoon is a quirky black comedy about reincarnation, altering the course of world events… and Rex Harrison.” Performances continue to December 18.