Delhi-based theatre group Kat Katha gives William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night a royal desi twist to bring you Almost Twelfth Night, a tale of "hyped" love
Delhi-based theatre group Kat Katha gives William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night a royal desi twist to bring you Almost Twelfth Night, a tale of "hyped" love
This weekend, Shakespeare gets an Indian twist with a puppet performance of Twelfth Night. So you have a Meena Kumari-esque Lady Olivia and a Duke Orisino who is a cross between Manoj Kumar and a spoilt South Mumbai brat who romanticises everything. And then there's the sour steward Malvolio whose theme song is Mohabbat hai mirchi, and Olivia's companion Maria watches Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi.
Purists may cringe, but the Kat Katha team doesn't quite care. "Puppetry is a celebration of irreverence," declares Anurupa Roy, director of Almost Twelfth Night.
Anurupa and gang want to make Shakespeare more accessible. And while that might seem like every other theatrewallah's mission, this Delhi-based group seems pretty sincere about their goal. "We decided to stage the play in 2002 in au00a0 show of defiance to all those high brow intellectuals who had taken ownership of Shakespeare. The fact is, he specialised in out-and-out masala scripts meant for the masses. We just wanted to make Shakespeare fun," says Anurupa.
That's how the idea of a cast of puppets and regular actors speaking in Hinglish, "the new language of the masses", came about. Anurupa follows Bunraku, the Japanese art of puppetry where two people hold the puppet so that the action is larger-than-life. They can climb on and fall off things, jump, fly, swim, somersault, even indulge in martial art. "It's completely mad and that's what kids love," says Choiti Ghosh, a cast member.
Being a Shakespearean play, how can it be devoid of sub-text and innuendos. Class struggle, gender and sexuality are the underlying issues. "A recurring theme in our version is the pun on the concept of love. Love is usually hyped, and has a very short shelf life. That's the concept we are playing with throughout the play," says Anurupa, explaining why Almost Twelfth Night is going to draw as many adults as kids.
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At: Prithvi Theatre, Janki Kutir, Juhu. Call: 26149546.
On: May 2 at 11 am and 4 pm.
Tickets: Rs 150
Horniman Circle Garden, Fort.
On: May 3 at 8 pm. Entry Free.
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