Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Theatre in Delhi

Watched 2 plays recently at the IHC in New Delhi. They were presented by "The Players", the Dramatics Society of Kirori Mal College, Delhi University. I went on the invitation of one of my students, Hemant Arora, who is an ex-"Player" himself.

The first was a comedy in English, "Abducting Mallika" which is an adaption of Dario Fo's Il Ratto Della Francesca. It was a treat to watch, to say the least. A tight script and a great cast to boot, the play in its director's words "turns into a sly, political tale of the media, the market and the managers of the society." One wishes for slightly less slapstick, but I guess as long as it is under check, it too has its share in humour.

The second one, "Murdon Ka Prachar" - was an adaption in Hindustani - not Hindi, mind you - of Gregory Burke's Gagarin Way. It was a serious play, and had some "rough vocabulary" in the chastest of Hindustani. Fair enough, considering the setting of the play. Some of the cast was brilliant, but the others left a lot to desire for. The direction needs to be more taut so that the play does not sag in the middle. One dialogue captivated me, and in fact I had a bit of discussion with Hemant on that, "You can't domesticate Capitalism."

All in all, a great way to spend an evening. Thanks Hemant!!!

No comments:

Post a Comment