The Absent Lover
The Absent Lover is a contemporary interpretation based on Act IV of a drama by the 5th century Sanskrit poet Kalidasa. The main character of the play is King Pururuvas whose wife, the heavenly nymph Urvashi, has fled in a fit of jealous rage into a cursed forest grove, where she is transformed into a creeper.
Pururuvas, mad with guilt and longing, seeks her in the jungle, beseeching the animals and birds he sees to give him news of his lost love. As a counterpoint to the archetype of the warrior king, a wandering storyteller—a character out of Indian street theatre—challenges and provokes the audience as he gradually reveals the story…
Credits
Choreography & Direction: Preeti Vasudevan (in collaboration with performers)
Music: John Hadfield, Ben Foskett
Lighting: Les Dickert
Set Design: Neil Patel, Delphine Ciavaldini
Costumes: Delphine Ciavaldini, Deanna Berg, Sandrine Lucas
Digital Illustration: Havoc Media Design
Script: Original Translation by Dr. David Gitomer (with permission from Columbia University Press)
New Script in collaboration with Bruno Kavanagh
Performers:
Narrator: Raj Ghatak
; Pururavas: Kenneth Flak / Gilles Chuyen;
Urvashi: Preeti Vasudevan
Narrator’s Assistant: Celine Pradeu
; Musician: Raju Das Baul
