Puck, Oberon, Titania, Nick Bottom are names that an ardent William Shakespeare fan will recall instantly. But can one imagine these characters from his celebrated work, A Midsummer Night’s Dream becoming Ashuga, Manmatha, Rati, Prameela and Arjuna. This is precisely what happened in the Kannada play Prameelarjuneeyam, which was presented recently at the Multi-Lingual Theatre festival at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan in Chennai.
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With a desire to bring excellent theatrical productions from across the country for the Chennai audience, this festival curated by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, has begun making a mark in the city’s cultural calendar.
Natana Rangashaale’s Prameelarjuneeyam, directed by Meghasameera, based on the translation of Shakespeare’s comedy play by M. L. Srikantesha Gowda in 1896, uses music and movements from Yakshagana, the popular folk dance form of Karnataka.
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With a touch of comedy
The story is set in Mala Yala, where princess Prameela, a warrior, after conquering Arjuna falls in love with him and prepares for their wedding. Meanwhile, Kairave and Jayantha are in love, and so are Padmini and Vasantha. But Kairave’s father wants her to marry Vasantha, the boy he has chosen for her. Kairave decides to elope with Jayantha. She informs Padmini about her plans, who, along with Vasantha, follows them to the forest. At this point, Manmatha, Rati and Ashuga (Manmatha’s aide) enter the story. Manmatha tells Ashuga about the juice of Nilotpala flower, which can make a person fall in love with whoever he/she sees on waking up in the morning. It results in a comedy of errors as the lovers get interchanged. How the confusion gets resolved makes for some hilarious and entertaining twists and turns.
The set comprised fabric hanging in the four corners of the stage, with a throne placed in the centre. These props were used beautifully in different sequences. The fabric sometimes became trees, pillars or ropes of a swing.
Movements of Yakshagana were woven into the play in a seamless manner, and the impact was enhanced with the presence of musicians on stage. The brilliant comic timing of the actors sustained the momentum till the last scene.
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An intense Malayalam play
From Niyamavarthanam staged at the Multi-Lingual drama festival, organised by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
To create plays that are relevant yet rooted seems to be the aim of the Kochi-based Rasa Theatre Collective, founded by Sidharth Varma and Rahul Thomas. The group staged Niyamavarthanam at the festival.
The play revolved around the head of a Catholic family, the old and visually impaired Appachan. His unshakeable faith in the institution of church is in direct conflict with his daughter Lissy’s beliefs, who wants to terminate her second pregnancy. Trying to appease both is Antony, the son-in-law. Lissy’s younger sister Nancy, who has already excommunicated for ending her marriage, supports her.
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The emotional battle between faith and women’s rights was handled well. The actors kept the audience engrossed with their performances.
The concepts of faith and sin were conveyed through a brilliantly conceived scene, where Lissy is seen smearing water from a bowl over her arms and face as if symbolising purification. She shares the white cloth that she is sitting on with her father, sending out the message that they have come to respect each other’s point of view.
Subtle lighting, minimal props and intense performances were the highlights of the play.