Stories in a song

Stories in a song

Justin called me about two weeks before this play was to be performed at the annual RangaShankara festival this year. "Batra! you must attend this play, I have seen it 3-4 times before and i am telling you, you must attend this one."  There has never been a time when i have disagreed with Justin's recommendation. I checked my calendar and for some reason, it seemed difficult to confirm at that point of time.

Being a true citizen, i had broadcasted this recommendation to near and dear ones. Even if i can not attend, others should. On the day of the event, at 11 am, Nikesh says that lets go for this play. The play time was 3:30 pm. Being at EventsHigh, it felt difficult to turn down an impromptu request and that too of this one. So, lo and behold, we attended 3:30 pm show.

Stories in a song is a motley of different stories with songs as a theme in each one. They depict a time and an era where a certain kind of music was used. There is a story on how a Brith lady tries to learn hindustani music from a local musician and applies it to western classical music. One story talks about how Gandhiji used the paakeezah like singers to promote the message of freedom. There are stories from Lucknow on their unique style of singing, a nautanki musical with lots of slapstick comedy built into it. Stories are laid somewhat in a chronological order. As we get to modern era, we see how a classical music song is remixed into a party number, right in front of our eyes.

This is one of those plays that has to be seen to be appreciated. The music is by Shubha Mudgal and it is beautiful. But what makes this play a must watch is its amazingly awesome cast. They nail the characters and their comic timings are outright brilliant.

Some thirty minutes into the play, I was so immersed that everything else was forgotten. The world outside was meaningless, time was controlled by these stage magicians and they could have taken us anywhere. Once the play ends and I walked out of the theatre hall, it felt like an eternity has happened while we were inside. Somebody had massaged the mind, it was active, ready to fire and take on the world. The worries with which I had gone inside were completely lost, they were meaningless in the new world. A new day had begun, although it was 7 pm in the evening.





http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunil_Shanbag
http://www.thehindu.com/features/friday-review/theatre/a-piquant-journey/article5064841.ece