Shakespeare is trendy forever...

Shakespeare is trendy as ever, reports Deepa Gahlot
Even as the world gets set for the World Shakespeare Festival at the Globe Theatre in a few weeks’ time, with 37 plays from all over — two Mumbai groups win the honour of participating.
Rajat Kapoor had a packed run of Nothing Like Lear, with Atul Kumar and Vinay Pathak alternating the part of a depressed clown in a ‘nothing like Lear’ performance of King Lear.Meanwhile Bijon Mondal and his Ranga Theatre is working in a new production of The Midsummer Night’s Dream, a Hindi adaptation by Raguveer Sahay titled Pyaar Pe War to open mid-next month. Directed by Bijon who also acts in it, with Pavitra Sarkar, Princyy Sudhakaran, Divya Jagdale, Aarifa Bhinderwala, Priyanka Basu and Aseem Hattangady, the rambunctious comedy is a ‘romcom’ that also includes a play within a play. The two productions going to the UK from India are Rajat Kapoor’s Hindi version of Twelfth Night and Sunil Shanbag’s Gujarati All’s Well That Ends Well.
Coming in to Mumbai from the UK is a group called LondonTalents that does theatre as ‘edutainment’ for children. The show they are doing in Mumbai, called From Here to There is about building bridges and uses, “rhythm and vocal play, boxes, cards and the world of imagination” to introduce children and their parents to their brand of theatre, and follow up every show with a ‘freeplay’ session that allows kids to explore the materials on their own. According to Jumana Kapadia of London Talents, the response to the shows so far has been “phenomenal,” with parents, kids and teachers sending in gushing comments. There are a few more shows to come, and at venues that range from schools to unusual spaces. Children should try to catch it.
A peculiar behaviour is being observed among audiences, more pronounced at Prithvi, but prevalent at other theatres, too. Over-enthusiastic people feel the need to cheer and clap at every line that they find funny or appealing. It’s not just spontaneous or polite applause to convey appreciation, but loud cymbal-like clapping that drowns out the lines and ruins the performance for others, is unpleasant. At opening shows, maybe it’s family and friends trying to be encouraging, but this lunacy seems to have caught on, and now, one can hardly watch a play without relentless noisy interruptions. There is really no need for the audience to make a racket. A play is not a rock concert.