For Indian dance and theatre traditions, form rather than content is the key-determinant of their identity. The late Kodungalloor Marumakan Raja, a connoisseur of Kathakali, adapted excerpts of Shakespeare’s The Tempest into a Kathakali play decades ago. Spread over 10 scenes, The Tempest begins with Lord Prospero’s dramatic monologue about his daughter followed by Ariel’s thiranokku. Kalamandalam Manoj portrayed the …