LONDON, U.K., November 10, 2001: A joint Australian-Indonesian venture The Ramayana written and directed by Nigel Jamieson and brought to the U.K. by the London International Festival of Theatre received rave reviews from theater critics. The story from the Hindu epic and dealing with the abduction of Sita by Ravana took on a different perspective as it was seen through the eyes of a pair of comic servants, using the technique of Indonesian shadow-puppetry. Reviewed as fascinating, the show’s political and ecological dimension, Terry Gilliam-style images created a powerful impression of an urban hell. Jamieson’s show, while critical of Suharto’s Indonesia, where the Ramayana is the most popular story, also proves that artistic cross-fertilization is a present-day possibility, two cultures combine to produce both a celebration of theatrical craft and a scathing attack on unrestrained market forces and environmental destruction.
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