Plays suchasHamlet, the ClownPrince (inset) andDear Liar (starringNaseeruddin ShahandRatnaPathakShah) have run to critical andpublic acclaim.Andyet,morepeople gravitate to stand-up comedy rather thana comicplay for an eveningout.
All the world's a stage? Then how come some stage events do better than others, even though they're in English too? In the last few months alone, Indians booked early-bird tickets to gigs and music festivals, singing along to The Backstreet Boys, Halsey and Sting. But barely a fraction of those folks attended a play. Comedian Vir Das has sold out bigger concert halls than Indian playwrights tend to do. Spoken Fest claims to be Asia's largest spoken-word gathering and packs out arenas in Delhi and Mumbai; but theatre festivals fill far fewer seats.
PLAYWRIGHTS HAVE BEEN CRAFTING PLAYS IN ENGLISH FOR INDIAN VIEWERS. THE STORIES AREN’T ABOUT JOHN AND GEORGE ANYMORE, BUT ABOUT ANAND AND VIKRAM
This story is from the April 20, 2024 edition of Brunch.
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This story is from the April 20, 2024 edition of Brunch.
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