Red Sox Mahabharata
When we cross-fertilize two profoundly
"eastern" and "western" stories and performance
forms, what strange and wonderful hybrids can emerge?
I propose the production of “Red Sox Mahabharata,”
an original Balinese-style wayang
kulit, or shadow puppet performance.
Red Sox Mahabharata would draw on themes from the classic
Hindu epic the Mahabharata,
a dynastic tale of war, peace, and dharma, commonly performed in
Bali through the wayang kulit, to tell the very western story of
two rival baseball dynasties: the Boston Red Sox and the New York
Yankees. This action
adventure would encompass the multi-generational struggle between the
teams, culiminating in Boston’s unprecedented come-from-behind victory
over New York in the 2004
American League Championship Series (Boston went on that year to win
the World Series for the first time since 1918.
You guessed it: I’m a Sox fan).
As any serious fan of either team would tell you, the history between these two American League cousins is undeniably epic: it is rich and multi-layered, replete with curses, shrines, shifting alliances, passionate fans, and, on occasion, even physical combat. By telling this story through the context of a wayang kulit Mahabharata performance, we have the chance to view American sports culture and Vedic wisdom in a unique, entertaining, and thought-provoking light.
What do you think? Email me your comments, outrages, funding.
2009 Karlo Berger. Some rights reserved. Website Design by Solid Uncoated.
Thanks to Hannah Burr, Kristin Granli, and Jim Kelly.