Sydney Festival: THE MANGANIYAR SEDUCTION

January 12th 2010 12:01 pm | Theatre | Review - By Diana Simmonds

A passage to India is next on the list

THE MANGANIYAR SEDUCTION, York Theatre Seymour Centre Festival hub and Parramatta Riverside Theatres. Photo: Prudence Upton

A musical box containing 43 virtuoso musicians is the sort of enchanting, mysterious delight a festival needs. And it's easy to see why Sydney's artistic director Lindy Hume was bowled over by the Manganiyar troupe when she saw them in Vienna 18 months ago. The show is spectacular and unexpected; a hypnotic mix of ancient music and modern technology whose sound engineer (S Manoharan) and lighting operator (Balli Nath) perform as an integral if unseen part of the intricate concert.

Daevo Khan conducts - as a dancer and player of the khartal (elongated castanets) - from the floor in front of the four-tiered set of little red curtained windows in which the musicians are initially concealed. Beginning with a solo khamaycha (rather like a cello), the curtains are drawn on window after window as singers, drummers, strings and woodwind players gradually join, leave and rejoin in a complex set of call-and-response movements and symphonic variations on themes. Ranging from tender and melancholic to thunderous and thrilling, the work is a non-stop hour and 15 minutes of visual and aural pleasures.

At the close of the performance (January 11) its director, Roysten Abel joined the players on stage as the audience rose in a long and rapturous standing ovation. He then spoke about the troupe: all from Manganiyar in Rajasthan, spanning three generations and all surnamed Khan. He alluded to the violence towards Indian students and other Indian nationals in Melbourne recently and also to sectarian violence in India and elsewhere in explaining the philosophy and importance of the troupe: all Muslims plus one Hindu ("who hasn't been killed yet"). It was the kind of gallows humour that went down well with the eclectic audience of all ages and backgrounds.

He also expressed delight and wonderment that this troupe of some 50 men (including three chefs who travel with the company for obvious cultural and Halal reasons) had been asked to come to Sydney by its woman director! "I have never experienced a woman director of a festival anywhere in the world," he said. "And I must say it is wonderful to have a woman's touch. It is gentle and we feel we have been so very well looked after here." At which point the artistic director was given a spontaneous and warm ovation of her own from the enthusiastic audience. Talk about feel good.

Extra performances have been scheduled: catch one if you can. But be warned: it could be more costly than you anticipate: on leaving the theatre we felt compelled to go to our favourite halal cafe (Bismallah in Crown Street, Surry Hills) and over dinner, begin planning a trip to India.

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COMMENTS

Diana, agree with you totally on this accurate and balanced review - although to be pedantic I am not sure where you got 43 virtuoso musicians from - I counted them more than once and there were only 37 on the night I was at (13 Jan.) - conductor Khan and director Abel not counted. I am glad you are planning a trip to India, but hopefully not solely in the expectation that you will see a musical event like this over there. I have spent eight weeks there in two trips in the last couple of years, with five days in Delhi on the last and also with time in Mumbai and quite some time in Rajasthan. I saw no evidence of any types of concerts of this type while I was there, but on the other hand I do not read or understand Hindi/Sanskrit to comprehend local notices. I would suggest that you would need local assistance to locate anything like that (or just stumble upon it). The closest I have come to Indian music overseas (and it is nowhere near!) was for some reason Hare Krishna sect street parades in the Baltic states for whatever reason last year! Around the corner from my hotel in Riga and in downtown Tallin in Estonia.

I also repaired for Indian food afterwards, but to the lower rent Tamana's in Newtown (not a plug - its just cheapish and quick)and did not start planning my next trip to India - although I will do some time as there is still so much to see there.

By Mr Mink on January 13th 2010 9:38 pm