Playing along

What is it that draws directors to the literature? Definitely working on already written work helps, but it is more than convenience. Every story has its buyer and that too in within all generations. The idea, especially pulls the director. Atul Kumar of The Company Theatre, is showing its two plays in the city this week, says that many times he only gets the inspiration from the story and rest is created by the writers and the performers.

Twin trouble
His two plays – Piya Behrupiya and Noises off – draw inspiration from William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night and Michael Frayn Noises Off respectively but for Kumar, they are more Indianised plays than just the writings of the great authors. "Piya Behrupiya is all about cross dressing, gender politics and unrequited love. I have packaged the whole thing in a musical," says Kumar while adding that, "Noises Off is almost same as the play except that we have thrown out the part where it gets very British."

Twelfth Night
Sticking to the original names of the characters, Piya Behrupiya nevertheless takes on a distinct Indian idiom with a variety of Hindi dialects. The plot is quickly underway with Viola shipwrecked on the shores of Illyria. She believes her twin, lookalike brother, Sebastian to be dead and masquerades as Cesario in service to Duke Orsino. Viola falls in love with the Duke but he is in love with Lady Olivia who in turn is mourning the deaths of her father and brother and claims that she has nothing to do with any suitors. But soon enough, mistaken identities and romantic interests converge, and the comedy is set in motion. Kumar says that it is both difficult and simple to recreate Shakespeare. "If we are truthful in our approach and vigorous in our discpline, it can create wonder, or we can fall flat on our faces," he says.

On a funny note
Noises off can easily be said as one of the funniest plays ever written. And that's why it is so difficult to execute. It not only requires good actors but also a perfect comic timing. Frayn's is a play within a play. It's about a cranky director and his troupe of dimwit actors who are trying hard to put up a show of a silly bedroom comedy titled 'Nothing On' - a single set farce in which doors are slammed, sardines fly, clothes are tossed away and actors are ignorant of what's going on. The three acts divulge into different phases of the disastrous show 'Nothing on'. Kumar says that he has combined two acts otherwise it would have been a really lengthy play. "We are celebrating out 20 years by revising this play," he says.