Two comedies, Madbeth (English) and Shakuntalam - Agar Pura Na Kar Paye Toh (Hindi), await theatre goers in Bengaluru this weekend. The plays by Rupesh Tillu of Mumbai’s Rednose Entertainment will be staged on Saturday and Sunday at Ranga Shankara.
Madbeth, as the name suggests, is loosely based on William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. It will, unlike Macbeth, be a comedy. The performance will feature slapstick, acrobatics, mime, songs and improvisations. It has been played for audiences in Europe, Israel-Palestine, USA and India.
Both plays will involve clowns. Madbeth will be a solo-act play, performed by Rupesh. “Key characters of the play, like Duncan and Lady Macbeth, will be members of the audience,” he explains.
Shakuntalam - Agar Pura Na Kar Paye Toh, meanwhile, is a modern take on Kalidasa’s legendary play, Abhijnana Shakuntalam. “Like Madbeth, this one too is very different from the original text. In Kalidasa’s version, for instance, Shakuntala, despite being the protagonist, is kind of weak. She is at the mercy of other male characters. In this, she is portrayed as someone powerful,” says Rupesh. The play has completed more than 100 shows in Maharashtra, Delhi, Lucknow, Jaipur and Ranthambore.
The intention of both plays, Rupesh says, is to create “a heightened sense of emotion” among the audience. “During the lockdown, we missed sharing an emotional experience with a group of people. Which is why we wanted to return with these two plays, which kind of breaks the fourth wall.”
Macbeth will be staged on February 20 and 21 at Ranga Shankara at 7.30 pm. Shakuntalam will be staged on February 20 and 21 at 3.30 pm. For more information, visit rangashankara.org. Tickets are available on bookmyshow.com