The actor in me comes alive on stage: Sharman Joshi

A gut-busting hit is how The New York Times described The Play That Goes Wrong. Four years ago, Sharman Joshi, saw the farcical murder mystery at London West End and decided to adapt it for the Gujarati stage in the form of Naatak Na Naatak Nu Naatak. Now, he’s set to stage the English version of the play, which also stars Sandiip Sikcand, Divya Savla, Dhaval Thakkar, Nikhil Modak, Karan Desai, Vidhi Chitalia and Karan Bhanushali. The actor-producer tells After Hrs about his plans for the production...

How did you decide to bring this production to India?

I happened to watch the play in London when I was there on holiday. It is a wonderful production with a successful run at West End and is playing at Broadway as well. I spoke to the producers, Henry Lewis, Jonathan Sayer and Henry Shields of the Mischief Theatre Company and brought it to India. Last year, we did its Gujarati adaptation, Naatak Na Naatak Nu Naatak and now, the plan is to do it in English, Hindi and Marathi.

What appealed to you so much about this piece? 

As the title suggests, this is a play where everything goes wrong! It’s a murder mystery, where actors forget lines, sets fall down, lights come on and off. Despite that, the actors carry on with the show.

Apart from Naatak Na Naatak Nu Naatak, you have acted in all your productions. Do you choose them accordingly?

That’s not the criteria, but it does suit me well if I can find a play where I can essay a part. The whole idea of doing theatre for me is because I want to act on stage. Production is not the priority for me, being able to act on stage is.

Would you be interested in plays by other theatre groups? 

No. It’s easier to adjust my schedules when I’m producing the play. I can move things around as per my convenience.

You returned to theatre after a decade in 2015 and you have been consistently producing and acting in plays. How’s the comeback been for you?

I’m so glad I got back. I really regret the time I didn’t do theatre. The actor in me comes alive when I’m on stage and I feel there is a lot of learning/unlearning that happens. Also, I feel that theatre sharpens my skills, and I’m more on my toes when I have done a stint of a play or a month-long rehearsal and then I shoot a film. It’s like riyaaz for a singer. I feel I’ve got my surs in place and it’s easier to find them.

Do you watch a lot of plays? 

I try to. The last play I saw was Piya Behrupiya which I really enjoyed. I had gone to London recently and saw London The Musical.

The Play That Goes Wrong will be staged on July 21 at St Andrews, Bandra at 7.30 pm and on July 22 at Sophia Hall, Breach Candy at 7 pm.