Kathakali Theater

On New Year's Eve we attended a theater performance of 17th century plays which originated as part of Hindu worship. Kathakali is a combination of two Malayalam words: "Katha" which means "story" and "Kali" which means "play". It is a story acted out and contains mime, drama, and music. The stories are taken from Hindu mythology.



Kathakali was developed mainly from one of the oldest classic dance forms of Kerala known as "Ramanattam" which was conducted only in royal places. The decline of royal society also threatened this great art form, which is now experiencing a revival.


We went to the theater early, since the actors sit on stage while applying their make-up, which is fascinating. The movements are highly stylized and there is very little talking. Most of the story is acted out Charlie Chaplin style, through mime. Before the actual story began, and after the make-up had been applied, the oldest actor came on stage and did demonstrations of the miming of all the various emotions. His facial muscles were amazingly well developed and he did things with his eyes that I didn't know were possible.


Here you see a few photos of the make-up session and some of the play itself. Also one of Bronie and me, armed with knitting so as not to waste a precious moment.