THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Stepping out of her comfort zone, Bengaluru-based stage director Leila Alvares is doing a different kind of musical this time. Usually known for her all-out entertainers, she chose Ghost for 2015, despite having second thoughts. “It was not really my first choice. I wanted to do Mamma Mia! But when I read the Broadway musical’s script, a lot of it resonated with my beliefs,” says the director, referring to the life-after-death concept.
For those not clued in, the story (also made into a movie in the 90s) is about lovers Sam and Molly who are separated by death, until a medium helps Sam get in touch with Molly to warn her about who his murderer is. “Of course, the film and script are a bit outdated, so I have changed it to suit contemporary times and left out bits I don’t believe in,” she says, elaborating that she has worked her way around needing the ‘ghost’ to walk through walls and doors. “I wanted it to be believable and that means I’ve redone scenes such that you won’t realise that the ghost doesn’t go through doors,” Alvares tells us. But why did she skip those features? “We don’t have stages that rotate and frankly we don’t have a budget that will allow me to bring on board an illusionist for all that trickery,” she quips.
So, instead, you can expect a simple set—one main one with plenty of detailing, and the rest minimalist—with the focus on storytelling. “The point of a play or a performance of this sort is the cast, music and story. There is no point in getting gimicky or having elaborate sets that need changing, so the audience has to wait between scenes.” Songs will include Alvares’ personal favourite I’m Outta Here, sung by the actor playing the psychic (remember Whoopi Goldberg’s character?) plus the now immensely-popular Unchained Melody. The cast members are Rahael Thomas, Mana Santhanam, Priya Mendens, Karan Machado, Arvind Kasthuri, Prem Koshy and Tuffy.
At JTPac, on September 13, from 7 pm. Rs 300 onwards. Details: bookmyshow.com
(Courtesy: Indulge, http://indulge.newindianexpress.com/)