'Chennai is eager for English theatre'

...says Lilette Dubey, whose black comedy August: Osage County plays out at the Times Chennai Festival 2012 tomorrow
Transposing a drama from an American setting to an Indian milieu might seem like a daunting task. But not for Lilette Dubey, who is helming the play August: Osage County at the Times Chennai Festival 2012 tomorrow. The celebrated stage and film actress has the enviable task of both directing and starring as the lead actress in this drama, which is a resetting of Tracy Letts' Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize winning play.
The story revolves around a dysfunctional family, which comes together following the disappearance of their alcoholic patriarch and the ensuing tumble of skeletons from the domestic closet. The vivacious Lilette, who has been shuttling across cities with this play, took time out from her jam-packed schedule to give us a lowdown on what we can expect.
She says, 'The playwright had written this drama supposedly with elements characteristic of a soap opera. However, in the hands of a good writer like Letts, the same material transcends its melodramatic nature and achieves the quality of a Greek tragedy. While the play might not present a most cheerful vision of the world, it is laced with humongous amounts of humour, which makes even the tragedy, very entertaining. I am sure that our audiences in Chennai will discover an emotionally resonant connect with one or more of the characters in this play.'
Ask her about her role and Lilette tells us, 'I was completely in love with my character, Violet, who has a dark and wickedly funny tinge to her. Very rarely am I enamoured by protagonists in a play. But this role had me at hello and I was so excited to be able to bring her to life on stage.' Lilette bursts into peels of joy as she reminisces about Chennai, 'I love coming down to this city as much as I can. It's a bustling, culturally prosperous metropolitan with an eager audience for English language theatre. They enjoy their theatre as much as we enjoy performing here.'
Trivia
Lilette was assisted by her daughter Ira in the direction of this play. Lilette proudly says Ira is calm at rehearsals and knows how to handle actors.
Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts are slated to play the lead roles in the forthcoming film adaptation of this play.
Complimentary invites to all events and performances at the Times Chennai Festival are available at The Times Of India office, 126/127, Chamiers Road, Nandanam.