Lalit Gupta
JAMMU, Jan17: Reiterating the magic of theatre, well-orchestrated performances by a cast of competent young actors, marked Ranjit Kapoor’s play “Chekhov ki Duniya” which was staged as the second performance of 2nd Theatre Carnival, organized by Jammu-based theatre group Natraj Natya Kunj, at Abhinav Theatre, here today.
Presented by Ras Kala Manch, Haryana, today’s bouquet of four stories, performed over 2 hours, weaved together a display of myriad human emotions: from somber to side-splitting comic.
The opening story of today’s performance Chheenk was about a clerk who cannot apologize enough to a brash general for sneezing on his head at an opera showThe second story ‘Surgery’ was of a man with a toothache faced with what looks like medieval instruments of torture and an inexperienced dental assistant. The third story ‘Seduction’ was about a man who is a habitual seducer of women. It was a lengthy play with very different emotions at various stages. The fourth story A Defenseless Creature’ was about a bank manager who is visited by a woman with a mental disorder who plays coercion to extract money from him.
Apart from wonder full display of acting prowess by the entire cast, today’s play’s high watermark was its overall creative design. The use of selective elements in costumes and furniture successfully rendered the feel of the period of the stories. Also, the props were light enough to be shifted easily during the change of scenes by unobtrusive black-clad backstage warriors.
The minimal ever-moving set was a spectacle in itself for the discerning observers. Right from the placement of the narrator to the feel of the Auditorium created with three pairs of chairs placed on different levels, there was a visible ingenuity in placing all props in different scenes which rolled out in a well-oiled sequence. The use of artistic lights helped to highlight the moods ranging from melancholic to pure comic. In nutshell, ‘Chekhov Ki Duniya” came to end after winning the hearts and tickling ribs of its lucky audience.
On the third day of the six-day-long theatre carnival, Natraj Natya Kunj will present Pankaj Sharma’s solo play ‘Ye Meri Wife Hai’.
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