Mayuri Bhandari, an unenthusiastic gorgeous yoga instructor, has something to get off her chest. She’s miffed at how Western folks have commercialized the practice and teaching of yoga, turning an ancient, sacred practice into a commodity. In The Anti Yogi, which I caught at a packed encore performance at The Zephyr Theatre on July 10, what we walk away with is the amazing talents of this incredible dance artist. Mayuri — who wrote the piece — chants, imitates a bimbo-esque well-meaning teacher, Kali, the Hindu Goddess of death and rebirth and other characters; she dances, stretches and poses with extraordinary flexibility; and fascinatingly illuminates the framework of yoga’s history without throwing too much information at us. It’s almost like a series of vignettes with Mayuri’s unapologetic self-righteous anger starting at a ten — and staying there for 60 minutes (the most effective theatrical moment was a projected Zoom presentation with which she interacted — videography by Kenny Johnston). While the show is entertaining and fascinating and essential, it’s a bit too didactic for my tastes, making Mayuri’s journey less important than the information. Still, directors D’Lo and Shyamala Moorty keep the action moving fluidly, and percussionist Neel Agrawal is so dextrous on his instruments that he deserves a show of his own.
The Anti Yogi
part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival
Zephyr Theatre on Melrose
check for more encores
for more info visit Anti “Yogi”