ST LOUIS: The halls of the CVPA (Central Visual and Performing Arts) Theatre in St Louis resonated with music and dance on the evening of May 3 with Shobana’s “Krishna”, a musical dance drama in English, enthralling 500 plus viewers of all ages. It was organized locally by non profits Ohmkaram (organization of St. Louis Hindu Malayalis) and Tamil Sangam of Missouri.
Conceived and created by acclaimed actress and Padmashri recipient, Shobana, the dance drama with 16 performers took the audience on a journey through the life of one of Mahabharata’s most beloved characters – Krishna; from his birth, to the famed battle at Kurukshetra.
Shobana donned the garb, presence of mind, strategies, and charm of Krishna. True to character, Krishna was mischievous and humorous at times. It was an inspiring musical drama, where the stage, sets, lights and costumes danced in tune with the performers, a true visual-audio treat.
Spectacular lighting effects by Murugan, and use of interesting props and sound mixing by Oscar awardee Resul Pookutty, transported the audience to Gokul, Vrindavan, Mathura and Kurukshetra sets of a different era. Prominent actors like Surya, Konkona Sen, Shabana Azmi, Andrea Jeremiah, Sukumari, Milind Soman, Nandita Das, Prabhu and Radha, lent their voices to the characters, bringing them to life.
Mix of dance forms and use of folk music and popular film kept the audience entertained. The English lyrics set to Carnatic tunes in some instances were also a unique feature.
“Krishna” took an unconventional route in the story of the Great Hero, relinquishing the traditional sequential narration from birth to death in favor of relying on flashbacks and fast forwards.
Beginning with Kamsa’s invitation to Krishna to come to Mathura, the story flashed back a couple of years to the amusing antics of a little Krishna in Gokul, played by Shobana’s daughter Narayani.
It ended with the mourning of Krishna’s death, which then flashed back to the scene from the Kurukshetra in which Krishna imparts the teachings of the Bhagavad Gita to Arjuna.
From his love for Radha, to his fight for Dharma; his marriage to Rukmini to his eventual death as a result of a curse of Gandhari, every aspect of Krishna’s life was recreated by Shobana and her troupe of 16 artists.
A slideshow in between also explored Krishna as a historical figure. The show ended on a high note with the scene of Krishna’s Vishwaroopam. After the program, Shobana graciously thanked the organizers, sponsors and the audience and also posed for photographs and autographed DVDs of Maaya Raavan which were sold during the interval.
The show is on a 19-city tour, with St. Louis being the ninth stop. “Krishna” has performed to rave reviews in all venues so far. The event was sponsored locally by US Wide Financial, Seema Enterprises, Vintech, Sangeetha, Abhinaya and Kumon, along with other local non profit organizations, businesses and volunteers.
Earlier, Ohmkaram and Tamil Sangam pledged to join hands with the Hindu Temple of St. Louis, in fundraising efforts benefiting the Greater St Louis Nepali Chautari and the recent Nepal tragedy at large.
“Amidst this entertaining evening, on a more somber note, we wish to extend our sincerest condolences and prayers to our brothers and sisters in Nepal,” said a spokesperson.
Vijayalakshmi Harish & Vinod Menon
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