Curtain Re-call for 2014

Deepa Punjani

A lot of theatre happens in Mumbai across languages and spaces and beyond the familiar and the mainstream. My summary of the 10 solid plays that were staged for the first time in Mumbai this year is therefore skimming the surface. Not all the plays are Mumbai-based and the list is at best indicative of some of the good work that was staged in the city in 2014.


	HELA, AAYDAAN and UNCLE VANIYA

HeLa (English)
Early this year, Q Theatre Productions staged HeLa by Scotland's Iron Oxide theatre company. This collaborative piece by Graham Eatough and Audura Onashile is based on Rebecca Skloot's book about Henrietta Lacks, a black woman whose body cells transformed scientific and medical research. The play is an immersive and reflective experience grounded in science and humanity.

AAYDAAN (Marathi)
Urmila Pawar's searing and moving autobiography has been adapted and directed for the stage by Sushama Deshpande. It is a first-hand account of a courageous Dalit woman negotiating the terrains of her caste as well as her gender and who seeks to empower herself. The performances by Nandita Dhuri, Shubhangi Sawarkar and Shilpa Mane are superb.

BULL (English)
Bull was actor Jim Sarbh's directorial debut in Mumbai. The opening segment in Sarbh's production is particularly striking. The award-winning play by Mike Bartlett is an exaggerated take on office politics in an era of economic recession and job instability.

UNCLE VANYA (English)
One of Chekhov's best-known plays, this Nagpur-based production directed by Vikash Khurana stands out for its simplicity in communicating the ethos of the original text and the actors are sincere.


	BANDISH, AAJ JAANE KI ZID NA KARO and INSHAALLAH

INSHAALLAH (Hindi)
Satyadev Dubey and Chetan Datar are no more. But their spirit lives on in this production directed by Ajit Bhagat. In his semi-autobiographical play, Dubey gives us glimpses of his theatre and his ideology, which were closely linked. Datar translated the play from Hindi to Marathi. It is old-fashioned yet vintage Dubey.

AAJ JAANE KI ZID NA KARO (Gujarati)
Although adapted from the Marathi play Proposal, writer-director Saumya Joshi reclaims the cliched plot with his unique take on dialogue, which is further enhanced by the performances and the chemistry shared between its two leading actors Jigna Vyas and Jayesh More.

BANDISH (Marathi)
Rajeev Naik's play about five individuals who engage in conversations, memories and introspection, may not deliver the perfect bandish, but has its moments that are finely directed by Mohit Takalkar of the Pune-based Aasakta theatre group - which is among the best theatre companies in India today.

YERMA (Dance Theatre)
Amina Khayyam Dance Company from the UK uses Kathak with contemporary overtones to deliver the poignancy of Lorca's famous play. Amina Khayyam in the title role is very expressive, and is ably accompanied by three other dancers. The live music is evocative, with Sebastian Comberti's cello deserving a special mention.


	THE TWO-CHARACTER PLAY and KAAMIYA

THE TWO-CHARACTER PLAY (English)
Tennessee Williams' little-known play has been directed by Gurleen Judge, and is performed by Saudamini Kalra and Himanshu Singh. The actor-duo is a talent to watch for they bring out the layered psychological narrative of sister and brother 'confined' to their house, and as actors in a theatre.

KAAMIYA (Hindi)
Directed by Ram Gopal Bajaj, the play was written by Kamala Kapur in the seventies. It goes beyond the glib tropes of women's liberation. Larger questions about entrenched patriarchy, love and freedom are posed by Ank's leading actress Preeta Mathur Thakur who plays the title character.

*Deepa Punjani is the Editor of this website. This article was first published in the Mumbai edition of Hindustan Times (HT Cafe supplement) on 27th December 2014. It has been republished here with minor changes.

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