All the world's a stage...

New scripts, debut actors and successful re-runs, there's lots happening on Mumbai's theatre sceneNot that proof is needed, but every time you see some actors (Atul Kulkarni being one of them) on stage, you are stuck by their ability to grab the audience's attention totally. Before the round table discussion on 'The Arts as a necessary source of consciousness', at Prithvi Theatre, with Alan Brody (professor of Theatre, MIT, USA) as the keynote speaker, there was a selection of five monologues, performed by some of the best actors on the Mumbai stage.
Zafar Karachiwala and Darshan Jariwala did pieces which were part of Rage's Going Solo production. The former performed a solo, Keeda Saala, about a junior artist in Hindi films (adapted and directed by Rahul da Cunha), and the latter brought to life the character of Yusuf Lakdawala, an ordinary man who is provoked to murder by an ordinary instance of road rage, in the wonderful piece On the Road, written and directed by Vikram Kapadia.
Atul Kulkarni, doing his piece titled Khauf from Salim Arif 's Kharashein, written by Gulzar was absolutely mesmerising as a young Muslim man in terror during the Mumbai riots. Jayati Bhatia's 'Moans' piece from The Vagina Monologues always brings the house down, and you can't help noticing that she is now more uninhibited than when she first performed the piece.
And finally there was Utkarsh Majumdar's Master Nandan Prasad written, according to the actor, 100 years ago by Ranjitram Mehta - a still funny and poignant piece about a teacher lamenting the disadvantages of being a Gujarati - loudest applause coming from Gujaratis in the audience.
After that came the discussion, which was, say some who sat through it, like any other discussion - more of the same! But it was great seeing so many of the city's theatre folk gathered together - only Sanjna Kapoor manages this feat. TV star Sangeeta Ghosh is all set to appear in her first play Kahani Mein Twist Hai, opposite Kiran Karmarkar, last seen on stage in Salim Arif 's Kachche Lamhe.
The play, directed by Baba Sawant is about an ideal couple, whose marriage goes haywire after they win a 'Made for Each Other' award. Their house is divided into two, lawyers are appointed and accusations fly.
Since it is a comedy, a happy end is bound to follow, but both stars will get a chance to show their histrionics. Divya Jagdale, whose new play after the acclaimed Bansuri is keenly awaited, almost opened Mr Wizard and Ms Kool this month, but it has been postponed. Meanwhile, Snapshots from an Album, starring her and Hidayat Sami is about to hit the 60th show mark. This play, written by her husband Shiv Subrahyaman, is about the ups and downs in the relationship between a couple over a period of time - watchable. Mujeeb Khan and his group IDEA have been working on Premchand's stories for a two years now. To commemorate the birth anniversary of the great writer in July 31, as Prem Utsav, the group will perform 36 plays based on his work in three days. The aim is to stage 280 stories of Prem Chand till 2010. "It will be a record that no theatre group in the world has ever attempted - one writer's complete literary work," says Khan. Their dedication can only be commended.