|
|
 |
|
|
Direction :
Starring : |
Sunil Shanbag
Rajshekhar Akki, Shubhrajyoti Barat, Kumkum Das, Hemant Hazare, Shruti Bapna
|
|
 This opening play of the 2007 Prithvi Theatre Festival- ‘Mumbai Musicals’ dates back to 1728. It owes its adaptation to three related sources, the earliest being John Gay’s THE BEGGAR’S OPERA. The play was written against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution in Britain and projected the growing ambitions of an Individual and thereby the changing social aspirations.
But it was Bertolt Brecht’s THE THREE PENNY OPERA (early twentieth century), which immortalized its predecessor. Brecht’s version, supported by the young Berlin composer Kurt Weill’s sound track remains unparalleled. Since then the play has often been produced across the world as it has a universal appeal and is open to exploration.
Chetan Datar’s reworking of the play, which also borrows from Vaclac Havel’s version has the Mumbai of the sixties as its backdrop. Its localized culture and conflict to an extent limits the original, universal appeal and could make identification for non-Mumbaikars remote. The story also becomes somewhat tame as it reverberates with the overworked, Bollywood theme of the underworld don and his mafia. So while I enjoyed watching the play I couldn’t help but feel later that something was missing.
Sunil Shanbag’s direction is average and nothing to rave about. Music is derived from various popular sources and this mixed up track is unable to create its own style. One must however give credit to Sunil for collecting a comparatively large cast and for making them sing on stage. Live singing, which was once upon a time an integral part of acting is becoming rarer day by day. The ensemble of actors is competent. Performances by and large are good and are within the scope of the script. Similarly the set, lightings and costumes are appropriate.  If one doesn’t expect anything of the stature of Brecht’s play or compare it to some former productions, it remains an enjoyable play. But I do have some questions- Why is the police always Maharastrain? Why are the underworld characters always in white attire? Do they always need to be surrounded by their henchmen? Why is a political leader always made to wear a Khadi cap and depicted as invariably corrupt? Why are the red light area’s inmates always scantily clothed? In short, why do we need to resort to stereotypes? But nevertheless the play is worth a watch. At least its tongue in cheek title assures you that you must!
*The writer is a senior theatre and television person who has trained under Ebrahim Alkazi at the National School of Drama (NSD). She has written for publications such as ‘The Asian Age’ and is a regular contributor to the Prithvi Theatre Newsletter (PT Notes). She also offers theatre training to students at the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan and is an important critical voice for the Gujarati Theatre.
|
|
|
|
|
