Mahabharata (Summer for the City) (2025)

Why Not Theatre's ambitious experimental production of the Mahabharata is performed in two parts. I went on two consecutive nights, but this weekend it's playing back to back in a single day, which is a bit much. But I kind of loved the idea of coming back the second night, after having the opportunity to read up on the synopsis in between. The plot is super convoluted, with many characters, all major. Not only that but the actors play multiple parts and play in drag so it's hard to follow. We are warned early on by the storyteller to not be daunted by the plot. It's about the morality lessons derived from the story. It is about how to live or not live a dharma life that is righteous. And there's something profound about that. 

The first part is backed by a band, that starts well before the official curtain time. They sing traditional Indian music and continue to back the narrator. It's a beautiful combination of storytelling and music. The music is my favorite part. There are also dance interludes that showcase different means of telling a story without words. The band doesn't come back for part two, but instead the backdrop is a screen on which we see live projections Jamie Lloyd-style. There is a 15-minute Sanskrit opera retelling the Bhagavad Gita. The scale of the production is honestly impressive and it permits the troupe to do more experimental things for scenes at a time. 

PS. I spotted Philip Glass coming out of the bathroom on the first night. Didn't see him the second night but the opera is reminiscent of his own Satyagraha, with a libretto also drawn from the Sanskrit Bhagavad Gita.