Mr. William (Meherzad Patel), an Acting instructor mediates a class of crazies who have nothing in common, save for being bitten by the bug of bad acting. THE CLASS ACT is about what happens when a Muslim (Sajeel Parekh) who recites Shakespeare (quite badly) at the drop of a hat comes in contact with a politically incorrect Parsi (Danesh Irani), a "mac" from Calanghute (Max Fernandes), a wannabe actress (Maanvi Gagroo), and an angry Hindi theatre purist (Danesh Khambatta). Meherzad Patel's sitcom has been making waves in Mumbai's theatre scene for a reason - it is so bloody typecast that Mumbaiites can't get enough of it!
There's very little plot and story to go by. The play, much like sitcoms on television, gets most of its laughs through the horseplay of its characters; one of the most entertaining of them being the Goan stereotype - Victor Rodricks, fresh of the Volvo bus in his Jimi Hendrix tee shirt and short pink pyjamas. But best of them all is Danesh Irani's Mehernosh Siganporia, who steals the show with his pants drawn all the way up to his chest. This is all about one-liners that range from sleazy to racist in seconds and the hilarious recital of Mehernosh's 'I Will Survive' monologue.
What works very well for the play is that the actors have imbibed every last detail, accents and slang included for the characters they essay. But it's also overacting given the genre. What dosen't quite work is that the play drags on, and the conflicts aiming to air issues such as religion and caste barriers become pointless after a fashion. All in all though, Meherzad Patel has been very clever in his writing, and as a director he has evidently given his actors a free rein to improvise. He also plays Mr. William, the acting instructor in the play. As a newcomer to the theatre scene, Meherzad displays a freshness that works to his advantage. His tight script and decent direction appeal to both young and mature audiences alike. A word of warning though: Parents, please don't take your young, impressionable children to this one unless you want them to leave the theatre exclaiming, "What men Mudder? You like dis play o' what? I almost lost my family jewels from laughing so 'ard!"
Mr. William (Meherzad Patel), an Acting instructor mediates a class of crazies who have nothing in common, save for being bitten by the bug of bad acting. THE CLASS ACT is about what happens when a Muslim (Sajeel Parekh) who recites Shakespeare (quite badly) at the drop of a hat comes in contact with a politically incorrect Parsi (Danesh Irani), a "mac" from Calanghute (Max Fernandes), a wannabe actress (Maanvi Gagroo), and an angry Hindi theatre purist (Danesh Khambatta). Meherzad Patel's sitcom has been making waves in Mumbai's theatre scene for a reason - it is so bloody typecast that Mumbaiites can't get enough of it!
