“Wonderfully dynamic! J Jha [is] a performer of tremendous exuberance and magnetic energy... a cheeky, touching and thoroughly engaging alternate telling of a great work that contains multitudes.“
—Sam Hurwitt, Mercury News
“By stripping The Mahābhārata to a bare-bones, one-person show, Geetha Reddy and Ubuntu Theater Project showcase the true heart of an oral tradition—with the potential to transform its audience, its teller, and the story itself.”
—Nicole Gluckstern, KQED
“Magnificent! A fresh take on old stories that everyone can appreciate.”
—Tanvi Agrawal, Theatrius
“Brilliantly adapted by Geetha Reddy and directed by Michael Socrates Moran… after hearing it, you do feel more alive.”
—Kiki Posts
CAST:
J Jha
ARCHIVED PRODUCTIion
Mahābhārata
NOV 15—DEC 15, 2019
by Geetha Reddy
a new one-person play featuring J Jha
The Mahābhārata is the great Indian epic. Dating from around 800 BCE, with 100,000 verses and a cast of thousands, it is told anew to each generation of Indian children in a version that speaks to the time in which they are living.
Often, tales of triumphant warriors emerge. But what of the tantalizing histories woven among the battles? What of the boundaries broken, the pathways blazed? And what does India’s ancient epic have to say to Americans of Indian descent?
Playwright Geetha Reddy (Far, Far Better Things) offers a bold new retelling of the ancient text, featuring Ubuntu Company Member J Jha (Pool of Unknown Wonders; Hamlet; Down Here Below) in a one-person excavation that explores the epic for a new generation.
This fresh World Premiere examines the nature of conflict, betrayal, and victory through a contemporary lens—but what will the Aunties say?
Location:
The FLAX Building
1501 Martin Luther King Jr Way
Oakland, CA
