There was quite a buzz some time ago about the recent stage production, SitaRam, that played for a limited 3-week run at Looking Glass Theater, a refined Chicagoland theater company. There were many statements made by the production relating to race and culture that affect our daily lives today, and it is disturbing to me that even a year later, no one has really addressed them. The show ended up selling out to the theater company’s subscribers before tickets were made available to the public, so many Indians were unable to secure an opportunity to see the performance, even if they were willing to shell out the money for tickets.
Walking into the play, I was a little guarded because of the mixed feelings I received about the production. The membership base of the theater company is predominantly white and well-to-do. So without any previous exposure to the play, I was a little critical of the racial dynamics. Before the play began, the production team introduced themselves to the audience and of the key team, only one person was Indian. I was very irritated that everyone mispronounced her name and it was all made out to be a big joke. She even commented that she should maybe change her last name to Smith. The joke was well-received by the audience.
The play opened with an introduction to Hanuman, depicted by an African American actor. I have heard in many circles the question raised as to whether it is socially irresponsible for Looking Glass Theater to cast an African American as a monkey. God or no God, considering the connections between African Americans portrayed as monkeys in times of slavery, many African American groups have a zero-tolerance on any connections between monkeys and their people. I wonder if any Indian actors were interested in playing the role of Hanuman? That would have been an easy way to avoid any misconceptions.
I approached Isaiah Robinson, the actor portraying Hanuman, after the show and I asked him about some of the racial dynamics of the production, and questioned him, as an African American male, how he would feel if Looking Glass produced a play depicting the life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and chose to cast a white man to play the lead. He responded “Martin Luther King represents the unification of all races, and if a white man had the passion and ability to pull it off, I think that would be great.” I have a feeling that some scholars and race relations leaders would disagree.
Some local South Asian groups of actors and actresses were somewhat disturbed. For an Indian epic to be produced by such a prestigious theater company, some South Asians anticipated an opportunity to get their foot in the door at Looking Glass Theater while playing a part that is so close to their roots. As it turned out, Shiva and Hanuman were African American and Brahma, our creator, was white. Sita was Indian, and Ravana and Surpanakha were Indian as well. The classical Indian score was produced by a popular musician named Jai Uttal, who is also not Indian, but rather Jewish. He is an excellent musician who has spent a lot of time in
Ironically, the scriptwriter, David Kersner had a goal with this production of demonstrating different cultures coming together. I ask if the Ramayana is the appropriate vehicle for such a goal. I spoke to David and he was convinced that it was the perfect opportunity for such a demonstration. I don’t know if I am convinced. The entire ending of the epic had to be modified in the Looking Glass production to achieve his goals. In the play, Sita and Ram stepped into the fire together as their mission on Earth was complete and it was time to transcend to heaven. There was a strong message of love and devotion in the depiction. However while I was growing up, the Ramayana still represented love and devotion, but in a completely different light. Our epic represents a woman’s duty, her devotion, her sacrifices and ultimately her suffering. How would Christians feel if we portrayed a story where Jesus never really died on the cross, but rather had a second supper with his apostles and later got married and had children and lived happily ever after? Am I the only one who feels there were some lines crossed here? I don’t know and perhaps we will never really know since the vast majority of people who saw the play were white people who pretty much thought it was all a great production.
