The lure of theatre

Ask any theatre artiste, and he would say that there's something about live audience which no amount of onscreen success and huge fan following can give. The sheer bliss of performing live can only be understood by those who have done so themselves. Film industry lures millions of people, and theatre artistes are no exception. Who doesn't want big money, good living and fame? And movies can give all of this. But what is it about theatre that keeps these artistes attached to them? So many actors keep on coming back to stage despite having a successful stint at the movies, fame and money. Though the list is endless, here are few actors who will be seen on stage in the coming years...

Benedict Cumberbatch
Cumberbatch started as a theatre and television actor. He had major roles in a dozen classic plays at the Regent's Park Open Air, Almeida, Royal Court and Royal National Theatres. He caught the world and women's imagination with his performances in Sherlock, Hobbit series, Warhorse and Inseparables. But despite his successful run on screen, the actor is looking forward to his retun onstage. He is set to return to theatre to play Shakespeare's Hamlet at London's Barbican Theatre. The production will be directed by Lyndsey Turner and will be produced by Sonia Friedman. It will start its 12-week run in August 2015.

Al Pacino
In 1969, Pacino made his Broadway debut in Don Petersen's Does a Tiger Wear a Necktie? It closed after 39 performances but Pacino received rave reviews and won the Tony Award. Pacino made his return to the stage in summer 2010, as Shylock in The Merchant of Venice. The acclaimed production moved to Broadway earning $1 million at the box-office in its first week. The performance also garnered him a Tony Award nomination for Best Leading Actor in a Play. 'Scarface' Pacino will be coming back on to the London stage after a three-decade break to play a role in an Oscar Wilde play 'Salome.' The veteran actor is so obsessed with the play that he even wrote, directed and starred in a documentary 'Wilde Salome' to convey his passion for the play to the rest of the world. He will be playing the King Herod character once again in London, but only in 2016.

Bradley Cooper
The Hangover star appeared in Three Days of Rain back in 2006. He gained fame with the Hangover series and his performance in Limitless, Silver Lining Notebook and American Hustle received rave reviews. The last two films earned him Academy Award nominations for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, respectively. The actor has come back to stage in the Broadway revival of The Elephant Man. It also stars Patricia Clarkson and Alessandro Nivola. Cooper previously appeared as John Merrick (the titular Elephant Man) in the Tony-winning Bernard Pomerance drama at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in 2012. Scott Ellis, who directed the Williamstown production, is also staging the Broadway return of the 1979 play that officially opened last month. The production will play a 13-week engagement through January 18, 2015.


Hugh Jackman
Before playing Wolverine and Jean Valjean on the big screen, Hugh Jackman started out as a stage actor – most notably opposite Maureen Lipman amid the wavin' wheat of the National Theatre's Oklahoma! revival in 1998. Jackman has won international recognition for his roles in major films, notably as superhero, period, and romantic characters. But his love for theatre never actually faded. He kept on coming back to it post 2002 when he sang the role of Billy Bigelow in the musical Carousel in a special concert performance at Carnegie Hall with the Orchestra of St Luke's. In 2004, he won the Tony Award and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Musical for The Boy from Oz, which he also performed in Australia in 2006. Jackman co-starred with Daniel Craig on Broadway in a limited engagement of the play A Steady Rain in 2009. Now he's back with a new play The River by Jez Butterworth. The production will play a strictly limited 13-week engagement through January 25, 2015.

Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman has revealed that she is in discussions to return to the London stage, scene of one of her greatest triumphs, to star in a classic play about an unhappily married woman in love with a younger man. The Oscar-winning actress explained that she is involved in 'complex negotiations' that may see her appearing in two plays 'one after the other'. The production that appears to be on the faster track is Turgenev's A Month In The Country, which is being adapted by Patrick Marber. Ian Rickson, former artistic chief of the Royal Court, will direct the play, hopefully sometime in 2015. Nicole did not discuss the dramas, but stressed that she was serious about treading the boards 16 years after she wowed London when she was directed by Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse in David Hare's The Blue Room.

Cate Blanchett
Along with an illustrious filmography, Blanchett has had an extensive career on stage and is a four-time Helpmann Award winner. Her earlier roles include the title role in Electra at the National Institute of Dramatic Art (1992), Ophelia in Hamlet at the Belvoir St Theatre in Sydney (1994), Susan in Plenty in the West End (1999), and the title role in Hedda Gabler with the Sydney Theatre Company in 2004. The actress will be one of the highlights of the upcoming theatre season, starring alongside Geoffrey Rush in a production of King Lear. In September, Cate completed a stint starring in stage production The Maids in New York. The play is an adaptation – by Benedict Andrews and Cate's playwright and director husband Andrew Upton – of the 1947 play by Jean Genet based on a true story.

Indians too play along

Sonali Kulkarni
This year we saw the return of two very talented actors on stage. One of them being Sonali Kulkarni who made a comeback with Marathi play White Lily Ani Night Rider (White Lily And Night Rider). Kulkarni's play which she also co-produced used dark humour to take a hard look at the increasing isolation that technology and rigid expectations are imposing on singletons. "It's very refreshing to be back," said Kulkarni.

Sharman Joshi
Sharman Joshi came back to theatre in 2014 after almost a decade with Raju Raja Ram Aur Main. "I started with theatre and it always good to go back from where you start," he said. The play not only got him rave reviews but also a lot of satisfaction. "It is like an exotic holiday. You unwind yourself, go back to yourself, know yourself better... Theatre's kind of rejuvenating yourself, it helps an artiste nurture himself. Everybody who has worked in theatre should go back to it once in a while, it is an amazing feeling," he said.

Arshad Warsi
If the rumours are true, Bollywood actor and former theatre artiste Arshad Warsi is all set to breathe life into an iconic old play from the '80s which is making its comeback this December. Produced by Ashvin Gidwani Productions and directed by the coveted Bharat Dabholkar, this play made history in 80s and was a favourite among all theater enthusiasts. A source close to Arshad was quotes, "Theatre has come a long way from what it was back in the days when Arshad was a part of it. He is very excited to experience what it has become now."

Paresh Rawal
He has always received standing ovation whenever he has perfomed on stage. Rawal also proved his mettle in the film industry with many memorable roles. He made a comeback on Mumbai stage in 2011 in Kishan VS Kanhaiya. The play was made into a movie with Rawal and Akshay Kumar with the name OMG! Oh My God. Come back to Gujarati stage after 16 years in 2011 Dear Father which not only garnered a lot of appreciation in India but also abroad.

Naseeruddin Shah
Like many other Bollywood heroes, Naseeruddin Shah too has taken a break from cinema to stage a comeback to theatre in 2012. His production of Julius Caesar opened at Bombay's Tata Theatre with Naseer himself playing Brutus. The budget of the production itself was grand at Rs 3 lakh and the dialogues audience-friendly.
boski.gupta@dnaindia.net