Dara review, Lytttelton Theatre

Sometimes it doesn't matter that the structure of a play is irritating, and the dialogue is clunky and didactic. In the case of Dara, the story of the warring sons of Shah Jehan - he who built the Taj Mahal - and the battle between moderate and hardline Islam, it doesn't matter because the staging is so exquisite. Every exchange in Nadia Fall's production is like looking into a mughal miniature painting, a tableau of people in elaborate and richly decorated clothes talking and negotiating and flirting beneath arches and behind screens. The lighting and the costumes are beautiful.

The final scene of the first half (seventy minutes in) sees the story finally spark into life. The look here is evocative of a Renaissance artwork. The set is modelled on the Taj Mahal and we have a native court with exquisitely black-turbanned, white-costumed, holy men draped across massive white marble stairs that span the vast Lyttelton stage. The judge stands in the centre, mid step, trying to mete justice in an exchange that sets out the stall for arguments that continue to rage today.

Set during a time of historic intolerance in India, the battle between the brothers is about the true way. Is there only one? Dara cites The Prophet's intellectual analysis of faith which embraces tolerance and greater understanding - in this case the rights of Hindus and Sufis and more moderate thinkers. The prosecutor questions his understanding of God. It is the liveliest exchange in Tanya Ronder's adaptation of Shahid Nadeem's play. When Dara is beheaded for apostasy by his ruling brother,  Aurangzeb, further sadnesses emerge. Zubin Varla is a terrific Dara, and Sargon Yelda is excellent as Aurangzeb. Tonight was the first preview, and the vast cast made it look easy.

In conclusion: The structure of Dara is irritating - it goes forwards and backwards in time with 17th century dates projected onto walls and screens. Some of it feels unnecessary. There is too much information and not enough characterisation, but it is an interesting window on that period, and if you love mughal paintings, which I do, Dara is a real visual treat.

References
Dara, Tickets

Lyttelton Theatre, Royal National Theatre, South Bank, London SE1 9PX.  Run ends April 4