Peter Brook’s the Mahabharata

Abstract

Katharine B. Free's "Peter Brook's The Mahabharata and the Modern Theatre Experiment" examines Peter Brook's Mahabharata as a pivotal work in Western experimental theatre's engagement with non-Western traditions. Free opens with a personal account of seeing the play during an earthquake, setting a tone of transformative theatrical experience.

The article notes that Brook's production, though extensively researched in India, remained largely European in its artistic vision, as evidenced by the experiences of the sole Indian cast member, Mallika Sarabhai. Free identifies four key drivers for Western theatre's attraction to Asian forms: escaping realism, leveraging symbolism for ideological commentary, pursuing universal communication, and expressing mystical experiences.

She traces this historical influence from early 20th-century directors like Tairov and Meyerhold (inspired by Japanese and Chinese theatre) and Yeats (Noh theatre), to the more direct engagement initiated by Jerzy Grotowski with Indian traditions (Kathakali). Grotowski's influence, transmitted partly through his collaborator Ryszard Cieslak in Brook's company, directly shaped Brook's approach. Free concludes by illustrating how contemporary directors like Peter Sellars and Tadashi Suzuki continue to use non-Western techniques, often in the context of anti-war or anti-Western commentary, showcasing the ongoing dialogue.