The Hindu: Through the Looking Glass to benefit Nalamdana
Michael McCrystalThrough the looking glass
Perch stages two plays by one of the sharpest social commentators of his time, V.M. Basheer
To portray onstage, the complex works of Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, the Padma Sri award-winning novelist, known for his whimsical humour, idiosyncratic characters and sharp social commentary, is no easy task. Perch, the Chennai-based theatre group, takes on the challenge, staging two English plays, Moonshine and Skytoffee and Sangathi Arinhya! (Have you heard!), at the Koothambalam Auditorium in Kalakshetra. They will be on November 21 and 22 respectively, at 7.15 p.m.
Moonshine and Skytoffee is the amalgamation of two of Basheer’s humorous love stories, The Love Letter and The Card-Sharp’s Daughter. Sangathi Arinhya! (Have you heard!) is an adventurous combination of seven of Basheer’s stories, with themes ranging from love to nostalgia, war to political satire, and humour to pathos.
Both plays were part of ‘Under the Mangosteen Tree’, a festival organised by Perch in Chennai to pay tribute to Basheer in his centenary year in 2008. Since then the plays have toured the country extensively. This time, they are being staged as part of the annual fund-raiser ‘Kutti Karanam’, to aid the children’s projects of the Nalamdana and Aseema trusts, both NGO’s with over 15 years experience in working with children in the areas of health and education through the medium of the arts and theatre.
For more information, call 98414 96723 / 98410 09927.
