|
 It
is a musical play in Hindi and English, directed by
Roysten Abel and music by Gautam. An
encounter between the rustic and the urbane. The plot
revolves around what happens when an all-girl Indipop
group comes across an all-male nautanki group from
Bihar.
A super successful all girl Indipop group rules the
Indian music charts with their unique blend of pop
music. Lost in their designer world of bubblegum and
candy floss tunes, the divas look at life through
rose-tinted glasses and live their starry lives with
the spunk, style and sophistication.
 Despite
their spunk, style and designer clothes, these girls
are groping to find their culture roots. However,
deep within they are dissatisfied with their Western
life and are on the look out for something new or
challenging. They long to explore their roots through
the rich musical tradition of India. Voila! Along
comes an all-male music group from Bihar with their
rustic charms and uninhibited musical skills!
What follows is a riveting story that fuses the urban
with the uncouth. Hence, what follows is a close encounter
between the urban and the rural, the modern with the
medieval and the designer with the desi. The
play is a spectacular new work with all the essential
ingredients - music, masala and masti. The play sees
an amalgamation of the best of the dramatic nuances.
It traces the encounter of two levels of socio-cultural
backgrounds as a super successful all-girl Indipop
group meets with an all male nautanki group from Bihar.
As the two groups battle first at emotion and then
for each attraction their respective camps are caught
in spiral countdown of raw emotions, tender love and
the (con)fusion of two disparate cultures. With an
original music score by composer Gautam, Much Ado
About Nautanki is a spectacularly new and original
piece of work in Indian Theatre.
The cast includes people and professionals from all
walks of life. Veterans from NSD, IMAGO, AIR FM
and Shri Ram Centre with students from colleges
like St. Stephens and LSR come together
in this play. The director Roysten Abel has roped
in a five- member nautaki troupe from Bihar.
 Roysten
Abel is one of India’s leading theatre directors;
he has several productions like Macbeth, Merchant
of Venice, and Measure for Measure
to his credit. He studied theatre in London
and has worked with the Royal Shakespeare company.
His play William’s Shakespeare Othello: A
play in Black and White won him a Fringe First
at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1999. His
Othello represented India at the Cairo International
Festival of Experimental Theatre in 1999.
As for the producer Vivek Mansukhani, founded
Scene Stealers in 1985 in Calcutta.
He has directed No room for love, Tara, Funny Money,
Six Degrees of separation, The complete works of William
Shakespeare (abridged) and many more. He has performed
abroad in Edinburgh, Cairo and Taipei.
Scene Stealers is one of Delhi’s most
prolific and popular English theatre groups, which
Vivek wants to take to greater heights. The two veterans
Vivek and Roysten came together for
this bilingual production. The two theatre buffs understand
each other and intellectually vibe on the same level.
As they both say, “ The play is all about emotion
devoid of any frills.”
The play was held in Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus
Marg, Mandi House from 22-25 February, 2001.
- Jyoti Narang
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6:18:47 AM 
