New play at Worli is not a waste of your time

Rehearsals for the play. Pics courtesy/G5a

Welcome to Gutterland. Nothing is normal down here. There is a bakery, but it sells potty cakes. There is a king, but he's mad (his minister, though, is sinister, as can happen in real life). The sewage workers are locked in battle with vicious demons disguised as poisonous gases and polythene bags. And in case you're in the mood for music, the resident French opera singer is happy to oblige.

That's the sort of cuckoo world that the audience for a new musical will be introduced to when it's staged this weekend. It's called Utterly Gutterly Atrocious after a delicious butter brand's tagline. And the two central characters in it are a hare and tortoise, who have set out to change the way we all run the rat race, asking us, "Why climb the ladder of success if we are anyway headed for disaster?"

The zany plot also has space for a love story between a mysterious old man, D'Lalit, and Lady Saga, the opera singer. But it's the main relationship between D'Lalit and a boy named Suvarna that director Purva Naresh uses to address injustices that arise out of caste and class divides. For, on the surface, Utterly Gutterly Atrocious might seem like a loony musical meant for laughs. But there are deep insights within the story that make us sit up and think about why, for instance, the job of manual scavenging is burdened only on one set of people.

The cast

The production stars children from Worli Koliwada, who have had little or no prior experience in theatre. Their involvement was a result of Project Swachh Worli Koliwada, which the play's venue has initiated in collaboration with various organisations. Speaking about the experience, child actor Shubham says, "When we were told about the reason behind the activities and the story of the performance, we realised how drama and theatre are a reflection of life. And if a big group is giving us the opportunity to be a part of theatre, why should we miss out?"

Why indeed, and you shouldn't miss out either on watching a play that highlights how we need to make the world a fairer place. For, it's high time we collectively ensure that Gutterland never becomes a true-to-life depiction of our own world.

ON March 3, 12 pm and 4 pm
AT G5A, Shakti Mills Lane, Mahalaxmi
Log on to bookmyshow.com
Entry Rs 200

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