Kathakali ‘Don Quixote’ travels to Spain

There’s an iconic scene in the novel Don Quixote where the protagonist Alonso Quixano is fighting tall windmills, believing them to be monsters. Written by Miguel de Cervantes, this scene is among seven others that premiered as a Kathakali show in Thiruvananthapuram on Sunday, by Margi Natyagriham, one of Kerala’s leading organisations dedicated to reviving Kutiyattam and Kathakali.

To mark the 400th anniversary of Cervantes’s death, Margi’s 17 member troupe will travel to Spain on July 8 to perform the story about knight Quixano, who, influenced by reading too many chivalric romances, fancies himself as ‘Don Quixote’ out to save the world.

Casa de la India, an organization that facilitates cultural exchanges between India and Spain, had approached Margi to adapt this particular novel, as this year also marks 400 years since the second volume of Don Quixote was published, shortly before its author’s death.

“The original novel is a really big one. Spanish theatre director Nacho Roqriguez and authorities from Casa de la India worked with us to select the eight scenes that will be performed,” S. Sasikumar, Margi’s treasurer says.

Margi will be in Spain till August 8, performing their Kathakali version of Cervantes’ work, widely considered as a predecessor to the modern novel. The team will perform at six major venues and events, including the International Classical Theatre Festival of Almagro on July 22, during their tour of Spain.