This is the third year of the Globe's annual international festival and I'm beginning to believe that it makes a rather better idea in theory than in practice.
The impact of Shakespeare on other cultures and other cultures on Shakespeare is a potentially fascinating subject, as anyone who has seen any of Ninagawa's productions will testify. But Ninagawa is a superlative theatre maker. All that the Globe productions of the Zulu Macbeth, the Cuban Tempest and now the Kathakali King Lear seem to prove is that removed from their social and cultural context these productions provide, at best, a darn good spectacle and, at worst, run the real risk of looking like exotica. The season has become a bit like showing off a rare animal in the zoo.
The trouble is, that so far, none of the Globe international productions have really passed muster as pieces of theatre, although at least the Zulu Macbeth and Cuban Tempest used the plays as a reflection of their own cultural conflicts and confusions.
But on the whole what we're being offered here is the kind of work that goes down a storm on the international festival circuit - easy on both the eye and the brain. Primarily, the purpose of the Kathakali King Lear is to offer something to gawp at.
Very pleasant it is too, if a trifle monotonous after a while when you've taken in the full glory of the lavish costumes, the glowering mask-like make up and the huge head dresses that resemble Hindu temples or big toilet brushes. The players look much like brightly-coloured tiered wedding cakes. Goneriel and Regan sport Carry On style stick-on breasts. A nice touch, the drums beat up a really terrific storm.
But there is no development of character. In fact, apart from the archetypal costumes and make up, there are almost no characterisations at all. The faces of the actors are almost entirely without expression although every now and again somebody wiggles their eyebrows extremely fast. This is about as interesting as I imagine watching King Lear performed in semaphore would be. I wouldn't wish that or this on anybody.
