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.