Brook makes a battle of Indian epic: QUENTIN LETTS' first night review of Battlefield 

By Quentin Letts for the Daily Mail

Published: 22:31 EST, 8 February 2016 | Updated: 22:34 EST, 8 February 2016

Battlefield

Young Vic

Rating:

There is no stopping director Peter Brook. Not far short of his 91st birthday, he has co-directed an off-shoot from the ancient Indian battle-epic, the Mahabharata, which has just opened at London’s Young Vic.

Mr Brook, much revered in some circles, does not give the audience much gravy. There are few props and just four actors – a multi-racial lot – to convey numerous figures in the fallout after the long battle.

Battlefield is based on The Mahabharata and the play by Jean-Claude Carriere and has been adapted and directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Helene Estienne. It is currently at The Young Vic in London

Battlefield is based on The Mahabharata and the play by Jean-Claude Carriere and has been adapted and directed by Peter Brook and Marie-Helene Estienne. It is currently at The Young Vic in London

The opening lines tell us of the bones of the dead being crunched in the teeth of carnivorous beasts. 

Some of the language, based on a Jean-Claude Carriere play, is bleakly powerful rather in the way Greek tragedy can be.

It only lasts 65 minutes but feels longer. The stage is covered by some orange material and the actors pad about barefooted, sometimes slinging coloured scarves round their necks to alleviate loose, black clothes that look like judo outfits. 

Add occasional percussion from a bloke with an Asian drum and you may feel you are at some Unesco expo circa 1970.

Still, it was quite fun seeing the drum wake a woman who was in the front row (the audience sits on three sides). 

The stage is covered by some orange material and the actors pad about barefooted, sometimes slinging coloured scarves round their necks to alleviate loose, black clothes that look like judo outfits

The stage is covered by some orange material and the actors pad about barefooted, sometimes slinging coloured scarves round their necks to alleviate loose, black clothes that look like judo outfits

Her eyes didn’t half pop open when the drummer bloke gave his skin-covered bongo a thwock. 

The main tale is of new ruler Yudishtira, an honourable young man taking over the devastated kingdom and generously accommodating his predecessor. 

We hear tales of reincarnation, fratricide, clemency and destiny. I was not convinced all the actors were quite up to professional London scratch in their vocal delivery – more variety and simple clarity would help.

It is interesting to see, in this tale, echoes or antecedents of the tale of Moses’ infancy, of the River Styx, of the blessed Mary being given a child from God and even of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice. 

Yet the production has more than a whiff of pretentiousness and when the pitter-patter of the drummer’s fingers finally abated, no one knew to clap for a good minute or more.

One for Brook collectors, really.

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