Bengaluru musical gives a Disney twist to Ramayana

Classical dance couple Nirupama and Rajendran will restage their popular production ‘Rama Katha Vismay’ in Bengaluru. The June 4 show is in Kannada and the Hindi show will follow on June 5.

The dance musical has been performed 35 times since it premiered in Bengaluru in 2008. In the 90-minute show, Yashodha narrates the story of the ‘Ramayana’ to little Krishna during bedtime.

“The core idea of the production is to fuse tradition with modernity,” says Nirupama. They were inspired by Broadway shows like ‘The Lion King’ and performances of Cirque du Soleil, the iconic Canadian circus production company, which they had seen during their travels abroad.

“Walt Disney has (also) inspired us in terms of giving life to every character, from creepers to animals, through animation,” she adds.

As a result, the musical will feature UV lights and visuals of Ayodhya and its forests in the background. The troupe comprises over 70 dancers and actors, including the couple. They will perform to recorded symphony orchestra music, composed by Praveen D Rao, and original poetry.

She is happy to share that music maestro AR Rahman has hailed their dance musical as ‘India’s answer to Broadway’ and the late choreographer Saroj Khan had remarked that ‘It was like a dream. The costumes, the grace, everything was brilliant’.

On June 4 and 5, 7 pm, at Dr Premchandra Sagar Auditorium, Kumaraswamy Layout. For details and tickets, visit sabhankosh.com