A World without Bling

“Yashwant and I used to conduct a lot of theatre workshops for children,” says the Mumbai-based playwright Salone Mehta,who has worked with director Yashwant Singh in plays such as Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and Crystal Anniversary. “Children as young as five or six would walk in with their shiny Blackberrys and iPads. It scared both of us to think that a child’s young mind was shrinking to the size of his 2×2 inch mobile screen. Children are supposed to play hide and seek,but today,they are addicted to Wii (gaming console). The play proposes a world beyond this bling — beyond everything that sparkles and shines. Through dance and music,we’ve tried to make the play lively and not too preachy,” says Mehta.

Beyond Bling is set in the fantasy land of today’s Mumbai where Vir is out to rescue his father Zorro,who has displeased the Queen of Sheen by provoking young minds to think,and to develop ethics and values. In his adventure,Vir and his friends come across Zorro’s book,and as each page turns,a hero of the past magically appears on the stage. Heroes such as the Joan of Arc,King Arthur,Odysseus,Beethoven,Rani of Jhansi and Don Quixote show the children the value of bravery,resilience,courage and true inner strength,which in turn causes the Sheen of Bling to disappear.

At tea break,the cast sits together and exchanges stories about the play and rehearsals,their energy and enthusiasm clearly infectious. Focus then shifts to some special moments in the play,like the witches’ dance and the entries of the heroes. Director Singh notes that the best part about directing the play is the fact that it addresses an important issue from an artistic perspective. “I hope parents and children watch the show,and question the desire for momentary satisfaction. At the same time,the play is also a lot of fun. In fact,there was a constant flow of fresh and fantastic ideas from the cast for every scene and character,which really made the process more challenging and exciting,” he says.

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