Theater Show: Adhe Adhure

In Mood to Kill Yourself!  1 / 5

Can I give negative... after all it's my blog.

I watched this play a few months back - and I fail to understand - to which era it belonged. What was Lilette Dubey or her daughter - supposedly new gen was trying to do in it! It's about a middle class family where women are the bread earners and how they need to compromise on their dignity and choices to keep the bread on table...

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This is a review I have been trying to write for sometime... but I think I would give it a miss...
Am sure there are people who like it... that would explain why it hasn't gone out of business.
In nutshell... it's a play not for me... I would avoid it by yards!
Due to the treatment of subject, the theme, the acting, dialogue... its not even old world.. it's plain bad and sitting through it a torture.

Theater Show: At The Edge by Jailoshini Naidoo

Good Storytelling: 3 / 5

Naidoo is quite a story teller. You can tell from the way, she a petite one, tries to slip into role of bulky men, old men, various shades of woman and does it effortlessly. The play is inspired from Ronnie Govender's book "At the Edge and other Cato Manor stories". The book won the Common Wealth Writers Award in 1998.
Naidoo is well known for her play 1949 where slips into the skin of 38 characters in one man show.

Here too, in "At the Edge" she plays quite a few characters, telling tales of hard times of brown people in South Africa in 1940's and 1950's. Her enthusiasm is infectious and one enjoys the play - as she herself becomes a part of the whole storytelling so that in the end, the good performance makes it a memorable watch. Reminds me of elaborate dramatic story telling that sometimes friends, grandparents do accompanied with mimicking. 

The play is directed by Sharupa Dutta, and has music by late Siva Devar.

The background, the display and the stage setting is quite impressive. Projection of photographs on large scale - impress and tend to leave impression - set the mood for the play to follow.

Naidoo in At the Edge (FICCI Auditorium)

The stories focus on hard work, discrimination, racism, and the hard times that these factors bring to everyday life.

The stories are sad, but bring back memories not so pleasant - and makes one treasure one's freedom.

Its a good solo act - with stories of everyday life, and struggle and heroism too of a common man.

Do watch it - if its playing anywhere around you. 

Theater Show: Pip Utton's Hitler (By Going Solo in India)

A Thinker's Play: 4 / 5

When I went to see this play, I knew nothing about it. I just knew that it talks about understanding how a nation allowed a man like Adolf Hitler to take control. So, I thought may be a bit of history and psychology. should be interesting... let's give it a try... blah blah...

But oh so! what I didn't expect was pure ingenuity at work. Had I known the format, may be I wouldn't have been so surprised by it. and therefore not as delighted as I am with it!

The play starts with a monologue (well.. it's a solo act play) by Hitler. Most of his thoughts - that are spoken on the stage - if you have been interested in Hitler and have read about him - then it would all be quite familiar. After 20 minutes  - I was thinking... Did I come to see this? An extempore...Whats wrong with theater these days... why do the audience think its great ... as I saw a lot of people giving loud laughs in first half - which I failed to understand - the words "marriage" and "mistress" comes and Delhi audience are laughing like its the most clever joke in the world.

Sincerely speaking Pip seemed too good natured to be Hitler. I know,  to an actor its not a compliment - but yes, he lacked the edginess of Hitler, or may be thats just the way I imagine Hitler to be. He was very good with the dialogues and delivery but I was in no mood to see a speech!

25 minutes later - no matter how good the speech was...
I was beginning to roll my eyes - when the things changed!!!!

Pip Utton in Adolf

What happened next was the actor taking off his mask... and I really don't want to say it all... but yes, becoming a Hitler in front of your eyes... in guileless, harmless persona of a man next door.

The beauty is you don't realize where he is headed. As an Indian - I felt a few parts were insulting. And I was wondering why an artist is talking the way he is.. but then ... then the penny dropped...I got the drift - and imagined am a British - and seeing the play - and then one gets into the rhythm...

He evolves into the character... smoothly seamlessly and the first act just falls into the block beautifully!
It tells you what a transition he has gone through and taken you along with him - (just think like a Brit for sometime to really feel it)

After this twist the play was quite good! I didn't expect what he did in last 2 minutes of it.
That raised the bar to whole new level.

The play makes you comfortable by its middle... gets you thinking towards its latter half... but towards its end - it educates you.
It tells you what you need to look out for and to avoid!
I am not using the lines though they ring in my ears.. the act, the words and the performance.

For it is to be seen and experienced.

The play looks simple - but is piece of art - where the audience are lulled into comfort, then made aware of their own dark side and naivety ... and then left with a good piece of advice and caution.

A sheer delight... am so glad I could make it! Catch it if its happening anywhere around you.

And last but not the least... it's not preachy...Utton does make it fun!

Theater Show: Hamlet - The Clown Prince (Rajat Kapoor Directed)

A Pure Delight To Watch: 4.5 / 5

You must have heard enough about this play. How lovely it is, how funny, witty... etcetera etcetera. You would be happy to hear that all this is true and much more.

One of the finest plays I have seen.

At its start - I almost went like - Oh No - not another one which might border on gibberish without any layer to it. But I was soooo wrong... it evolves beautifully and quite wittingly.

The first thing that you notice is the attire. Beautiful costumes.... which add to the whole persona, ambiance, and sets the stage for the drama.

The cast Atul Kumar  - As Hamlet  - is sarcastic, spontaneous and simply wonderful. He engages the audience, has antagonistic attitude but humors them at every step.

My fav in play was Neil Bhoopalam - who plays the ghost and Claudius. He is a rockstar! He brings energy and fun to the whole play. Else the play can take only a sarcastic thread - as led by Atul. But the way Neil carries it off - he comes out as a real star - who is integral to the play and its delight factor.
With Neil and Atul holding the two ends tight - the play emerges as a winner.

Neil & Puja

Puja - as the Queen is quite a performer- she adds the zing to the play and flirts with the audience in most adorable way. She has a great voice and talent - and would want to catch her perform in some more plays.

Namit Das is average... he never rises above a certain threshold - and is passable. One really doesn't mind it a lot. He fits into the role but doesn't shine or sparkle or stand out like others. One really doesn't mind  - as you are so busy with all others....

Sujay Saple - is good and holds it all together. No complaints for him!

The one I saw had the last clown as Kalki - and she's so good. She not only adds to the visual appeal - but also blends in with the crew. She was introduced as "junior clown" to the audience - indicating that she is a recent addition. But the way she blends with the old team is wonderful - and carries herself quite well.

Cheers to Rajat Kapoor - some excellent work here.

Post play - it's a pure entertainer - yet one takes time to chew it all... and tends to mull over it. Its good if you know the story of Hamlet before hand - then you can make out the "Method in Madness" and enjoy it better.
Even if you don't - its not a big deal! (that's the beauty of good work)

As an English Lit postgraduate - some lines about Hamlet's procrastination,  about written play being a drag at certain points from literary point of view - were raised in the play - which made me appreciate it a lot more... as though some one was echoing my pain points when I had read the play formally.

It's a lovely cast - who has put together some intelligent humor - and tops it with good visuals and performance.
Not to be missed. Period.

Theater Show: Nothing Like Lear (Vinay Pathak Starrer)

Honestly - I wouldn't give it more than 2.5 / 5

However, before I start my thoughts about the play - please note that there were people in the audience (whom I overheard) said that they cried twice in the play seeing the performance .. (me.. a hard heart... made me wonder!).
Delhi audience was in throes of passion after the performance.

It seemed only I was alone in the feeling that the play did not rise above mediocrity at any point.

Solo act shows are tough. Very tough.
This is something I have realized over the years. Have become wiser with the years.
Else a decade back - I saw Gareth Armstrong's Shylock - and I still remember the feeling - awe, admiration, forced to think on the points raised, funny, witty... my brain cells were screaming with pleasure.... every minute was classy.
That was fortunately /  unfortunately the first solo act that I saw in my life. The sheer power of performance blew me away. What I didn't know was that it would set the benchmarks of solo performances in my unconscious!

However, over the years I have fine tuned my senses - and learnt to keep that one play on the side and enjoy the others as I see them.
But I was reminded of it today!

Vinay Pathak - we all know is such a fine actor. But here - the script as per me failed him.

Was it a comedy? a stand up comedy? a hash of Lear... ? a play with elements of dark humor...
The script and the moods were very confusing. Lear doesn't come till the end.. when we see and hear few lines of it.
It isn't heroic, it really doesn't make you laugh a lot. I still wonder why Shakespeare was used... to draw attention?
The daughter who died doesn't betray Lear - here everything was mixed.
Here - the daughter who throws the good papa out of the house in a rainy night dies... how do you expect the audience to feel with her death... sympathize with Lear when he is crying for her!

If I had no expectations and had walked into the play - Yes, I would have liked it. But - as it was  - I had seen Hamlet - that set the stage for expectations - then with names like Vinay Pathak and Rajat Kapoor - one expects a classy act. This was okkkkk in real sense. Never reached a high tempo for me.. but it truly isn't bad. Average is the word for it. Am sure this same idea can be done much better... script... needs some serious rework as per me, need to raise the bar here, it is still not a Thinkers play.
If not that - then they should say its almost a stand up comedy with a twist of literature... then the act would meet its packaging.. and yes, it's a HIT then... but till then please do not call it Lear.

I would suggest watch it. May be you discover something that I didn't.