Bedtime Story
C cubed, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Group: Pandava Productions

Munira Mirza

Bedtime Story was banned in India for seventeen years for its modern update of the Indian epic poem The Mahabharata. The play critiques the mythical and heroic principles of this sacred pillar in Indian culture, and the way they relate to contemporary society. While this is an unsatisfactory production, the script is an interesting postmodern experiment that tries to bring together the moral compass of a mythic past and that of an age where morality is orientated around the Holocaust.

The tale of the Mahabharata centres on two feuding families, the Pandavas and the Kauravas and the conflicts between them. The fairy tale-like episodes explore the moral principles of duty, loyalty and submission to fate, as characters struggle against their destinies and the iron rigidity of noble codes of honour. The stories in and of themselves are fascinating and engaging - with something of the fantastical character which all fairy tales possess. The tales raise questions about how the direction of our lives and whether we possess control over the choices we make. Such questions of free will and the unpredictable nature of external forces continue to interest us, although not under the shadow of mythic gods.

The play's structure mixes the main narrative - five key episodes of the poem - with intermittent appearances of a Nazi war criminal who talks to the audience about the play itself. The Nazi enters with a hurried pace, as if he is keen to impart some cautionary tale to the audience. He leads on armed Indian guards (presumably reflecting the censorship of the play in the writer's country). The presence of the Nazi implies that the questions raised by the narrative about free will, fate and the gods are similar to those raised by the Holocaust.

Both the Nazi war criminal and the narrative of the Mahabharata are historical reference points, or aesthetic props, for the playwright to explore the contemporary Indian political climate. While modern society has mostly rejected the deterministic notion of fate, the concept does remain a strong part of Indian moral culture, especially in Bollywood, where heroes and villains always get their just desserts and long-lost relations are reunited by good fortune.

Of more concern in this play is the way in which India views its role in conflict, as something without alternative. When the character of Arjun the prince doubts the point of going into war against his old kinsmen, he is instructed by the god Krishna, to distance himself from his individual emotions and to accept his duty. There is no alternative to nuclear war, he says - a depressing moment of insight into the old world and the modern.

The play's traverse across the past and present is played out in the language of the script. In one scene, a prince gambles away all his worldly possessions, his kingdom, his subjects, the crown jewels, and then 'Virgin Atlantic, the CIA Files…Microsoft'. The juxtaposition of old and new is initially humorous but would have made more impact if it had been used sparingly. The fondness for the technique however also allows for poor language and dialogue in 'modern day tongue'.

While the idea of the play looks interesting on paper, the ideas in the script are not developed enough and therefore lack emotional or intellectual impact. Likewise, the company's execution seems half-hearted. The acting is weak overall and it feels as though sometimes the performers are themselves bored with the play. A better production perhaps might have brought out some of the more interesting elements of this piece and made it more enjoyable to watch.

10 August to 24 August.

All articles on this site © Culture Wars.