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The Kathakali theatrical tradition was formalised around the time that Shakespeare was writing Today, some 35-40 plays are regularly performed, directly comparable with the 37 plays of Shakespeare's canon.

Like all classical Indian theatre Kathakali focuses on simple plots. Playwright David McRuvie's decision to adapt Shakespeare's King Lear as a Kathakali dance drama was made because 'by itself the story of Lear is the least complicated in the whole Shakespearean canon' and therefore 'uniquely suitable' when compared with other European classics.

Stripped of its Gloucester subplot, McRuvie feels that the tale of Lear and his daughters 'stands out in its powerful simplicity'. It also 'corresponds precisely to the theatrical criteria of Kathakali, both in its length and in the number of characters involved. No other Shakespearean play', he argues, 'could be so radically reduced without seriously altering the main plot'.

McRuvie points out that 'in the other mature tragedies Shakespeare 'puts great emphasis on the gradual development of highly complex characters. Only in King Lear does he draw on a much earlier tradition of character types'. This, too, fits in with the Kathakali tradition where the dominant characteristics of each protagonist are prominently displayed in their costumes and make-up.

He summarises 'The challenge that faces any production of King Lear is to find a theatrical expression for the larger-than-life dimension and explosive power of the play. Kathakali's rich means of expression and its intensity of effect create precisely the dimension and power that the play requires'