HERE in town to give Chennaiites a generous dose of theatre from a different part of the country is Theatre Fest 2009, by Media Mix in association with Nippon Paints. Three days and three star-studded plays is what the festival is all about. The three major picks of this year includes, Brief Candle, Blithe Spirit and Conditions Apply.
Written by Mahesh Dattani and directed by Lillete Dubey, Brief Candle revolves around Jeevan Jyoti hospital and its inmates. Once when the founders request the doctors for a cultural event on Founder’s Day as a fundraiser, Dr Dave, Shanti and some of the terminally ill feel that a play written by an inmate who died of AIDS related cancer will be an ideal choice.
As they rehearse the play, all the characters discover similarities between themselves and the characters they are playing. The metaphor of arrivals and departures representing life and death leaves them with a reflection of their own struggles and needs.
Written by Noel Coward and performed by dedicated thespians from Kolkata, Blithe Spirit speaks about Charles Condomine, a Novelist seeking first hand information for his latest book, inviting a medium name Madam Arcati to his home to perform a séance and tries to establish contact with the other world. What follows is a series of accidents and miscalculations, filled with dismay and amusement. Noel Coward wrote the play in 1941, which was also made into an Oscar winning film.
Written by Vikrant Pawar starring Mandira Bedi and Darshan Jariwala Conditions Apply is a frenzied and comical play in English, representing the high stress and frustrations of daily life in the big city. The play brings a man and woman’s shared nightmare of modern life and the isolation it creates.
Mandira Bedi and Darshan V Jariwalla play these two seemingly neurotic yet normal individuals, who like all of us, are trying to come to terms with their lives, each one coping in their own quirky way and maybe with a little success.
The plays will be staged at Music Academy from today till July 17. Tickets are available at Music Academy. For details contact 9884663342.
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