
THEATRE plays generally begin in a dark room, then a focus light draws the audience’s attention to the character on the stage; then, a voice describes the characters. But, can you imagine an opening with a disclaimer? Not the ones that say that the characters are fictional or the play is not intended to hurt any living or dead. It is a request, stating, “Kooda pei edhana kutitu vandha, thonga venda nu sollidunga. Marakama kaal oda kutitu poidunga (If you have brought any ghost with you, ask them not to hang around. Don’t forget to take them back).”
Upon hearing this, one would assume they are in for an eerie play. But this horror-comedy play — a first by Theatre Genie group — is all for “clean, good entertainment.” The 90-minute play, titled Nee Paathiya?, is set to take the audience to a different reality. “Our motto is to bring humour out of any serious situation,” states the director, Girish Kumar.
A theatre artiste for eight years, Girish writes his plays influenced by the Broadway production, The Play That Goes Wrong. Explaining this idea, Girish shares, “We take different plots and perform them with a twist. And for the first time, I wanted to try the horror-comedy genre.“ The twist in the upcoming play is that the plot is set in today’s world, but in a different reality.
Ghosts and giggles
Set in an old haunted palace called Rathinam Mahal, a YouTuber and ghost hunter plans his next expedition — this time accompanied by budding content creators and police personnel, who end up making the hunt more difficult for him, with twists and revelations at the Mahal’s every entry and exit point.
Debutant artiste, Sowmya Baskaran, says, “We have a lot of script reading sessions and individual workshops, where the director discusses the character arc. Then we are asked to bring our own element to it.” From clothes to makeup, the artiste is given the freedom to bring in their own element to it. “How a character takes shape is a very conversational, give-and-take process. It is important because in a live play, the artiste needs to feel confident and own the character, to be able to perform it convincingly,” she adds.
This is even more important in a comedy genre because, “For comedy to work, every dialogue has to land on time to work. This genre is especially challenging,” notes Sowmya, an academic researcher by profession.
The jokes, when combined with original background music, stunning visual effects, lights, and interactive performance, make Nee Paathiya?, an immersive experience. “The audience is also a part of the play. With the artistes, they are also uncovering secrets, understanding truths and
plotting the next move — making this an unconventional play because first it combines horror and comedy, secondly we use minimal lighting and a 5.1 surround music system and a different reality,” says Girish.
Of art and its revival
For the cast and crew, theatre is an “intimate place” where important messages are delivered to a wider audience. This play’s intention, as Sowmya puts across, is “not everything has to be about the message. Sometimes it’s just about having fun. The message is that you can be entertained without having to do unnecessary gimmicks. Everyone can come and have a good time.”
With this show, the Theatre Genie group believes that there is a revival of the theatre scene in the city now. “You would have heard about all the old theatre groups like (one led by) Crazy Mohan, and The Madras Players. But after that, in this generation, a lot of young, talented, and fresh voices are coming up. I think the city needs to embrace the culture, and it’s going to be amazing,” concludes Sowmya.
‘Nee Paathiya?’ will be staged on June 14 and 15 at Medai, Alwarpet at 6.30 pm. Tickets are priced at Rs 349 and available on Kyn and BookMyShow: https://in.bookmyshow.com/plays/nee-paathiya-by-theatre-genie/ET00440500