Oscar-winner A. R. Rahman and filmmaker Shekhar Kapur on how Expo 2020's Al Wasl Dome inspired their musical

Expo 2020 Dubai has entered its second — and final — innings. And although visitors from all across have been basking in the glory of The World’s Greatest Show — and how — there are still plenty of never-seen-before spectacles and live gigs to conclude the global fair, Dubai-style. The latest of the barrage of arts and entertainment being offered onsite is a born-at-Expo musical created and cultivated by two of India’s most critically acclaimed creative minds — world renowned director Shekhar Kapur alongside the multi-award winning musical maestro A. R. Rahman, who’s already been showcasing his all-women Firdaus orchestra at the Expo.

Why? The Musical follows the story of a young girl called Mariam, who goes on a journey with her grandfather, Jid, to search for the true meaning of existence. Filled with an insatiable quest for life, the story revolves around Mariam, played by Australian theatre-actor Shubshri Kandiah, discovering the world around her with a wise old man who personifies wisdom, played by William Zappa and an eccentric character called Andromeda that signifies endless possibilities, played by Indian actor, dancer and comedian Jaaved Jaaferi.

We speak to the two masters to break down the many ‘why’s’ behind Why? The Musical.

What question does the ‘why’ pose?

“The interesting thing about having a musical called Why? is that it’s a different experience for everybody. Even for Rahman and myself, it’s a different idea. His ‘why’ is different to my ‘why’ but we brought it together. That’s why now, when we talk to the audiences, everyone says ‘Yeh toh meri kahaani hai’ (this is my story),” says Shekhar Kapur.

Urging the audience to invoke a sense of childlike curiosity — “when the world was full of wonder and the Earth was our playground, not something to destroy” — the dynamic spectacle seeks to resurrect the twinkle of wonderment in people’s eyes, which seems to be withered away as we age. “We’ve just been honest. He’s been honest to himself, I’ve been honest to myself. The actors have been honest to themselves, and therefore, in that honesty, it might mean many different things to many people. But whatever it means, whatever the interpretation is, it’s an honest interpretation. And that’s what makes it so beautiful,” adds the Bandit Queen director.

Could the ‘why’ be replaced by any other question word? To this Kapur responds, “‘Why’ is broader than ‘how’. For instance, you can ask, ‘How does this work?’ but the deeper question remains, ‘Why does it work?’ or ‘Why does it even exist?’. That’s a much bigger question.”

Multidimensional storytelling in Al Wasl Dome

Being the largest projection dome in the world, Expo 2020’s Al Wasl Dome inspired the birth of the musical, Kapur and Rahman reveal. “[Shekhar and I] came here two years ago and we saw the Al Wasl Dome. At the time, there were no talk of a musical. Nobody even asked us to do it. But we were right there, underneath the dome and we both just looked at each other and said, ‘Oh my God, just look at this space. We have to do something here’,” says Rahman.

“We’ve both worked in movies and theatre all our lives but the setting of the Al Wasl Dome allowed us to envision a different kind of musical,” adds the Oscar-winning composer. The musical also seeks to instill empathy towards the planet, inspiring action to create a healthier and cleaner world. “Immediately, Shekhar came up with the idea of sustainability and climate change and all these existential questions being asked and everything came together to form this extraordinary visual and musical experience,” says Rahman.

Every format of storytelling offers something unique, believes Kapur. “If you look at 3D within a cinema, it offers something else. If you look at virtual reality, it offers something else. Everything you do is telling a story. But it’s interesting to explore the different ways I can use to tell a story.”

The musical explores a new-age 360-degree way of storytelling, where live audience surrounds the stage from all sides. “Al Wasl gives you the idea that you don’t have to look straight at something like you do in a theatre. You’re looking from behind, here, there, everywhere, the audience is all around you in a circular space. You can even look up. It offers you a new way of storytelling — a way of exploring the idea of the story in multiple dimensions,” adds Kapur.

The Expo’s landmark spectacle

With over 100 artists coming together Why? The Musical has become the Expo’s landmark spectacle in a way that brings talent from all across the world to tell a story that transcends geographical and sociocultural boundaries. “It’s very rarely that I get to work on something so universal like this. Usually, you get a story, which is a love story or something similar. But here, we could throw around as many ideas at each other and mould it from ground up,” says Rahman.

“I’m also a big fan of science and how it feeds on curiosity and also spirituality. We could call it a combination of this quest for science — to take the world forward and enlighten all of us. And by doing so, we enlighten ourselves,” he adds.

The idea of the musical was conceived just before the pandemic and took two years to come together, with Artists in Motion leading the production front. “I’m so glad that it’s come in the second phase of the Expo. It’s given a whole new energy to people coming here. The way the Expo is organising things is unbelievable. The system is so great that currently, we couldn’t have pulled this off anywhere else,” adds Rahman.

Tech-infused theatrics

Why? The Musical premiered on January 20, translating their vision into reality and was “everything and more” than what Rahman had anticipated. “We had some questions around the practicality because it’s not a conventional theatrical setting,” says Rahman, adding that all those got answered through a roaring response from the audience.

The musical also encapsulates the burgeoning arts scene of Dubai and the UAE, strengthening the Expo’s goal of promoting creativity rooted in technological advancements and cultural diversity. “The technology used in the dome is path-breaking and became pivotal to the storytelling. The content which is projected above is not just a generic wallpaper, it has a story. It’s not just augmenting the ambience,” says Rahman.

In addition to the two creative masters, Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty of Slumdog Millionaire fame also added his unique touch to bring the sound effects of the musical to life. “There’s 27.2 surround-sound system used in the dome, which I think is the first time ever to be used at such a scale. The music and the effects had to match that. Resul did an amazing job with the overall sound effects,” adds Rahman.

Each scene in the musical is supported with a score that reflects the multicultural ethos of the UAE, with music from Middle Eastern, African, Indian, classical, Spanish, contemporary and hip-hop genres. “It’s a combination of Broadway, Vegas, East and planetariums, bringing it all together, as a completely new way of expressing the story. But with one vision: Why?” says Rahman, who has created seven original compositions for the musical.

Abstract emotions, tangible settings

Staged as a tug of war between rationality and imagination, the musical showcases the interplay between curiosity, wisdom and infinite possibilities — ideas that can be quite abstract in nature. “I think the idea of Al Wasl itself provoked these ideas,” says Kapur. “These are not ideas one will assume everyone has. But I find it very interesting that every young girl comes to me and says, ‘You just told me my story’, why does that happen?”

Sometimes, the more abstract something is, the more particular it becomes to people, adds Kapur. “When you ask them what their story is, they’ll all give you different answers. I think that’s because it’s an abstract space that allows the audiences to find their own story, which is the most interesting part. We made it very intimate to people,” says the Mr. India director.

The questions that Kapur and Rahman ask in their musical can be deemed existential, even spiritual, in nature. Do they consider themselves spiritual? “To me, spirituality isn’t a word; spirituality is a feeling. What is spirituality, except the exploration of that which cannot be defined?” says Kapur. “And it’s subjective,” adds Rahman. “My experience of spirituality is different from yours. As long as we are pushing humanity forward, that’s all that matters.”

somya@khaleejtimes.com

Why? The Musical will be performed in English, Thursday-Sunday (except February 4-5) at 8pm, till February 27. For more information, visit www.expo2020.com.

Somya Mehta

• somya@khaleejtimes.com