Over the years as we’ve travelled around, especially in south-east Asia, we’ve been to many ‘cultural shows’. These performances of traditional local music and dance have often been staged purely for tourists and have left us with the distinct impression that the ‘artistes’ were little interested in the meaning or history of what they were performing. Not so with Kathakali in Kerala!
Kathakali is a living art form which is passed down through the generations in specialised schools and art centres. Its roots are in 2nd century temple rituals, but its current form developed around the 16th century. It is characterised by elaborate ritualised gestures, heavy masklike make-up, rhythmic drumming and dramatic stories of love, lust and power.
The actors and musicians train for six years to take part in Kathakali. There is no dialogue. The story is told through the beat of the drum and the precise mudras (hand gestures) and facial expressions of the actors. All of this was explained to us by the narrator before the show itself began. One of the actors demonstrated each gesture of hand and face as each explanation was given. This helped us, the audience, to understand the nuances of the story when we saw it played out.
These examples came after a very entertaining hour spent watching the performers applying their extremely elaborate make-up. Some of the actors (all of them male) did their own, but the star of the show, who had the most complicated mask, lay prone on the stage whilst another member of the group applied his make-up for him.
There are a finite number of stories in the Kathakali repertoire. Most of them, when performed in full, go on for thirteen or fourteen hours. Tourists, however, get an abridged version lasting about an hour.
The story we saw was ‘The Killing of Kichaka’, a tale of the murder of a brute of a man who forced himself upon an innocent girl. We were given a helpful type-written summary of the plot when we first arrived at the theatre. This, along with the graphic explanations, made for an entertaining and memorable evening.
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Fascinating, and a bit like Chinese Opera.