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'The Importance of Being Earnest' | Photo: Bibhash Dash
Manipal: ‘Bunburying’ and Japanese bandits came to life as Kala-Manch, the dramatics club of MIC, brought forth two highly entertaining plays, ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ (Oscar Wilde) and ‘In a Grove’(Ryunoskue Akutagawa), in the MIT library auditorium.
‘The Importance of Being Earnest’, one of the most famous plays of Wilde, critiques the hypocrisy of the extremely uptight Victorian society of that day and age. “The performances were good and the ironic twists towards the end of the story were interesting. However, I felt that the staging and backdrop of the play could have been better for the entire setting was very simple,” said Apurva S Gowda, 1st year, MIT.
Love, Friendship and Irony, all rolled into one, did not fail to grab the attention of the audience. Be it the comic role-reversals, the saas-bahu like story line, or the prim Victorian-style of the actors themselves. So much so, that the actors themselves felt overwhelmed by the end of it. “The entire experience of acting for Kala Manch has been a rewarding one. From day one, the cast and crew had developed such a great rapport, that I could not wait for rehearsals everyday. I thank Priya (my director) for making me a part of this play,” said Kerban Billimoria, 1st year MIC, who played Gwendolen Fairfax and was much appreciated for her performance and outfit by many.
The second play staged was ‘In a Grove’ by Ryunoskue Akutagawa, a short Japanese story about confessions surrounding the death of a man (a Samurai) and the rape of his wife. The catalyst in between that sparks off the very events of the story is the bandit, Tajumaro. The play presents seven different interpretations of the event by the protagonists, of which, three are first hand leaving the audience in the jury’s chair to decipher the mystery. Although there was a technical snag towards the end, the actual ending itself was well received. “This was the first time I directed a play in Manipal and felt extremely good about it. I think now students are able to relate and enjoy literature and slowly are realising the value of drama which is not merely acting. I would definitely stage another play for the response was satisfying,” said Arya Gautam 1st year MIC, director of the play.
The play lived up to the genre of ‘murder mystery’, having kept the audience glued to the story line right till the end. “The chemistry between all the actors was amazing since day one, which according to me is very important. Even after my performance was over and I went backstage, I was high on acting. I think it was one of the best moments of my life,” said an ecstatic Shonali De, 1st year MIC, who played Masago (the wife).
“Great performances and moving plays,” commented Seshadri Shridharan, 1st year MIT who felt it was worth paying the Rs 50 per ticket and watching the play.
Syndicate Bank, Enigma, Hot-Spot and i-Need Opticals were the main
Sponsors of the event. In addition, the organisers also gave away a complimentary ‘couple entry’ pass to an Enigma party along with the ticket.
Judging by the crowd’s reaction, Kala Manch seems to have won the hearts of many students this time.
Sub-edited by Bibhash Dash |
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