Direction : Ruth Little Writer : Jordan Tannahill Cast : Akram Khan
XENOS Review
XENOS begins with two musicians on stage, B.C. Manjunath (Percussionist) and Aditya Prakash (vocals) engaged in creating an atmosphere for a classical musical evening even before the audience is let in. The stage is lit in amber and the duo continue renditions of Khusrau's'Chaap Tilak' and Kabir's 'Naiharwa' to be joined by Akram Khan in a slow-sift manner. Before one could discover what is happening, the show begins with intentional fluctuation of sound and light like an electric hum or radio static which sets the course of XENOS.
Akram Khan in the beginning performs with his ghungroos, only to be torn apart from them with his new identity as a soldier. XENOS can be loosely translated as “someone who is not a member of your communityâ€, who is simply a foreigner, with no implication of reciprocity or relationship. Borrowed from the Greek language, XENOS is a word used from Homer onwards. The meaning of XENOS is ambiguous and most importantly very contextual. Therefore, concerning Akram Khan's XENOS, what we get to see is a work of intertextual art on stage. XENOS embodies the voice of anonymous Indian soldiers engaged in WWI. During WWI, around 1.5 million men, mostly peasant-warriors fought the war in Europe and died. XENOS is a 65-minute lamentation for the body in war. The body in question here is the soldier's dual body and dual identity. At the same time, it's also about the body that's changing, the body that blossoms, matures, crumples, and rises. XENOS is laden with multiple meanings right from the interpretation of its title to the blending of Eastern and Western music and the phenomenal scenography of German designer Mirella Weingarten. XENOS uses minimal motifs of rope, mud, and gramophone to create layers of emotions and interpretations. It is precisely for this reason the play can also be seen as a macabre meaning-making along with its meditative aspects.
The horrors of the war, the grim truth of humans as violent beings, ghastly deaths, the convalescence followed by the dreams of return, the yearning for rebirth and the dreams of possibilities, and the ability to imagine is at the core of XENOS which comes out through its orchestration of music composed by Vincenzo Lamagna recreated onstage by five international musicians: percussionist B C Manjunath, vocalist Aditya Prakash, bass player Nina Harries, violinist Fra Rustumji, and saxophonist Tamar Osborn and absolute minimal light design to the movement and the pathos of Akram Khan.
What's commendable about XENOS is also the light design by Michael Hulls which is minimal but evocative. The light here is not to reveal but to create a mood. Needless to say, light design is about setting the mood. However, in the case of XENOS the light design played the part of a veil rather than an unveiling. It was when seen through this veil, did the play transcend. The way the musicians were lit, rendered a divine quality of an angelic choir from heaven floating on a dark cloud mourning the loss of humanity.
The voice of the Canadian playwright Jordan Tannahill with the brief text is audacious, meditative as well as poetic, reminiscent of the aesthetics of Terrence Malick.
XENOS is a visual and aural treat to the senses that makes one sensitively ponder over the state of humanity, the war that is within and without. Like a peeling of the rind, XENOX unravels the conflict inherent in being human. Inspired by the Greek myth of Prometheus, the Titan is known for defying the Olympian gods by stealing fire from them and giving it to humanity. Prometheus believed in the imaginative possibility of human beings to create beauty.At the same time, the Olympian gods were sceptical of the same; after all, humans are to be ruled under them. XENOS seems to be an attempt made to explore this dialectic of being human.
Humans are in bondage by other humans. The yearning to return, the dream of freedom, the absurdity of war, and fighting battles that are not even theirs are the themes explored in XENOS. Throughout the 65-minute performance, one can see the struggles embedded in 'becoming what is one's own'. The play ends on Babul Mora Naihar Chhooto Jaaye leaving one in a state of wonderment at the pathos of the state of humanity.
XENOS premiered at Onassis Cultural Centre in Athens in 2018 and the final performance of XENOS was held at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA in 2023. Rivetingly, Akram Khan chose XENOS to be his final solo work on stage.
Dr. Omkar Bhatkar is a Sociologist and Playwright. Hehas been teaching Film Theory and Aesthetics and involved in theatre-making, poetry, and cinema for a decade now. He runs the eclectic St. Andrew’s Centre for Philosophy and Performing Arts and is the Artistic Director of Metamorphosis Theatre and Films.
