Prithvi Theatre Fest: Horniman Circle Shows Cancelled

Please note that all festival shows at Horniman Circle Garden have been cancelled on account of unseasonal rains in Mumbai.  Ticketholders will be refunded; please call 39895050 before November 20, 2009.

Shows at Prithvi Theatre (Juhu) and Karnataka Sangha (Matunga) will run on schedule, come rain or shine.

Prithvi Theatre Fest: The Hamlet Quartet

Amitesh Grover’s ‘The Hamlet Quartet’ is a revised version of Shakespeare’s ‘Hamlet’, integrated with Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead. The play has been cleverly adapted to depict the present day crisis of the modern man. While Hamlet represents the war against injustice and evil,  Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (the jesters) contribute with their wit and over-the-top theatrics.

While mourning the death of his father, Hamlet encounters the former’s ghost, and learns that the death was an act of betrayal by his Mother (Gertrude) and Uncle (Claudius) . What follows is the story of his revenge and the sacrifice of his love for Ophelia, due to his political responsibility, which finally works up to the death of all characters, including Polonius, Ophelia’s brother, who battles Hamlet in order to avenge the suicide of his sister.

The message that comes across is that if in the end only evil exists, nothing will survive. The dilemmas of man and how his actions affect his psychology are portrayed beautifully by the actors. Adding a lighter note to the grave story are the clowns (or gravediggers) who manage to get quite a few laughs out of the audience. Technology in the form of televisions, mobile phones and video cameras have been cleverly incorporated into the play to create visual and sound effects that are quite impactful. The message comes across with the use of scarce but intelligent props; credit for which goes to the outstanding performances. The Hamlet Quartet is heavy on emotion and the eccentricities of characters are exaggerated complimenting the overall mood.

The Hamlet Quartet and other plays are showing at the ongoing Prithvi Theatre Festival ‘09.

Contributed by Raashi Malhotra

Prithvi Theatre Festival ‘09

Short plays by IITians, The Merchant of Venice in Kannada, mushaira, Malayalam-Japanese plays (with subtitles), and folk fusion music are just some of the events lined up at the Prithvi Theatre Festival ‘09, Nov 7-20.  Themed Theatres of India, the festival will showcase plays in different Indian languages, including Bhojpuri and Chhattisgarhi. Also in the offing are poetry and music sessions, and a special exhibition felicitating the late Habib Tanvir.

Events and performances are distributed over 3 venues- Prithvi Theatre, Karnataka Sangha and Horniman Circle Garden. Bookings now open. For information on Festival Juloos, Naya Theatre Exhibition, book launch, platform performances, etc. visit prithvitheatre.org