Seriously Comic

The outburst was part of a spirited 40-minute solo performance by actor and director Maya Krishna Rao in a play titled Quality Street at Meghdoot Theatre,last week.

Dressed in a flamboyant blue Nigerian wrapper,blouse,and a mounting head-tie,she jumped off the stage and grimaced at the audience,hissing at a late-comer,How dare you come so late? The startled woman relaxed as the rest of the crowd burst out laughing,and Mrs Njoku continued. The outburst was part of a spirited 40-minute solo performance by actor and director Maya Krishna Rao in a play titled Quality Street at Meghdoot Theatre,last week.

Based on Nigerian novelist Chimammanda Ngozi Adichies short story,the comedy follows Mrs Njokus character,a housewife,whose US returned daughter,Sochienne harbours a distaste for her mothers bourgeois ways,and wants to marry a Kenyan. Mrs Njoku,on the other hand,is not too happy to see this and goes through a series of emotions.Rao seemed to have nailed it with her zest as she created a vibrant character through a heavy accent and ostentatious mannerisms of a neurotic mother.

For the renowned actor,director,writer and activist,the idea of performing Adichis short story materialised when she was asked to perform at the Commonwealth Games last year. I was told to come up with Commonwealth literature to perform. Theyre all usually about exploitation,but I wanted something funny and felt this one was ideal for the occasion, said Rao,whose training in Kathakali came through with a grand entry and eye movments.

Performed for the first time at the Commonwealth Games in October,and staged in other cities throughout this year,the Miranda House graduate kept up an energetic performance throughout the play. I enjoyed doing it,because we are all people with children and weve all cursed our children at one point of time or other. The story is very universal. I have already told my daughter that this play is all about me and not her, laughed Rao,who will stage the same play in September and November,in all the metros.

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Maya Krishna Rao

Seriously Comic

The outburst was part of a spirited 40-minute solo performance by actor and director Maya Krishna Rao in a play titled Quality Street at Meghdoot Theatre,last week.

The outburst was part of a spirited 40-minute solo performance by actor and director Maya Krishna Rao in a play titled Quality Street at Meghdoot Theatre,last week.