A new production, set in a circus in Madrid, uses a mix of Spanish and English to unravel a play within a play
Sayandeep Sengupta, Ayaz Shahid Khan, Alankrit Duggal, Utkarsh Mehta, Rhea Rai, Rishabh Sood
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If you are a theatre lover with an ear for Spanish, prepare to get transported to the Madrid of 1970 with The Last Laugh. The first production of the theatre group, Teatro Espressivo, formed earlier this year, the play uses Spanish phrases in its dialogue, while English is spoken with a Spanish accent throughout.
Set in a circus, the play revolves around two main characters - William Kite, a celebrated acrobat, and Quinquart, a lovable clown - and their head-over-heels love for a girl who is a horse rider in the circus troupe. The two are compelled to act in a play to rake in some moolah for the circus owner.
Creatives for the play
"I had read the story back in school, and it stayed with me. On developing it further for the play, which started with fleshing out the personality of Papa Santos, the money-minded circus owner, I felt his character would sound genuine if his dialogues were in Spanglish. Once we tested the idea, it felt only natural to extend the use of the language to other characters," shares director Rishabh Sood, who learnt Spanish with the help of online tutorials and books.
Sood, who hails from Delhi and came to Mumbai last year to pursue a career in acting, has shared the stage with veteran actor Tom Alter in the play, Sons of Babar. The 23-year-old is excited about the group, which has brought together individuals passionate about theatre. Says Sood about fellow actor Ayaz Shahid Khan, "Not many can wake up at 4 am, board a train from Mira Road, and be the first to reach for a rehearsal in Lokhandwala at 6."
On: July 21, 8 pm
At: The Cuckoo Club, 5AA Pali Hill, Bandra West
Log on to: bookmyshow.com
Cost: Rs 249
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