Theatre Speaks

Sailesh Ghelani
Actor, Writer
SAILESH GELANIWhich is the last best play you saw and why?

Well, I saw a lot of 10-minute plays at the Short+Sweet Festival in which I participated this year. I particularly liked THE FIRST FIREWORKS and O TERI.

Your favourite adda to see a play

NCPA

Your favourite play-character

The Phantom of the Opera

A play you would like to see filmed. Why?

The play I wrote for Short+Sweet 2012 called FORGIVEN. It�s my first play as a writer and a director and people really liked the script.

A novel/short story you would like to see on stage? Why?

Chuck Palahniuk�s �Damned� adapted for the stage because it�s a wicked piece with loads of humour and clever insights on life and death and everything in between.

A play, which is over-hyped

DINNER WITH FRIENDS

A play character you would like to �dialogue� with�

Dorothy from THE WIZARD OF OZ. I want to ask her if she�d have preferred the ruby red slippers in stilettos instead ☺

A play that changed your perception about the theatre

PHANTOM OF THE OPERA

How do you regard the Mumbai theatre scene?

Flooded with too many �comedies� and not enough mystery and drama stories. Also, we really need better productions and sets. Musicals are a joke here.

If you have ever been a part of a theatre production/s, can you recall an event that was insightful, significant or simply humorous?

I acted in the Short+Sweet festival last year as well in a play called FAT LAZY BUMPY. I played a TV and the girl played a remote control; sort of a romance story between them. It�s significant because we became really good friends in real life too and I�m happy that through this process of creation and expression you can also connect with new and interesting people, which ultimately enriches your life.

Can you think of a foreign production that you found remarkable? Why?

Most of them. Even if they don�t have great scripts. The actors, the production values and the drama they imbue in each production, it is awe-inspiring. I loved LES MIS�RABLES and PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. The sheer magnitude of these productions, the brilliance of the music and dance, the feeling of being transported to a whole new world, is just unbelievable.

A significant Indian production that you may have witnessed�

So far, nothing has been significant for me on the Indian front. But then, I do need to watch a lot more theatre here.

Life in the theatre without the humble batata-wada or the cutting chai� or can you recall the best gastronomic experience you�ve had in the precincts of the theatre to date?

I feel the coffee shop at Prithvi Theatre is overrated frankly. I did have some nice Achari Kebabs before the Short+Sweet finale from The Caf� at the NCPA. They were good but then I was also ravenous!
 
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