Play it Again

“These plays hadn’t been staged for years and,when we did it,the response was tremendous. This proves that the Marathi theatre audience is nostalgic about classics. In fact,revival of classics is now the latest trend in Marathi theatre,” says Barve,who has been a part of Marathi theatre for over 25 years. Following the enthusiastic response by the audience,Barve now intends to stage three of the plays again,Suryachi Pille,Hamidabaichi Kothi,and Zhopi Gelela Jaga Jhala,with two shows each.

According to Marathi theatre actor-producer Neelam Shirke,theatre is like fashion. It has some classics that never go out of style and keep re-emerging along side new trends. Shirke began reviving plays such as Barrister,Moruchi Maushi,Purush and Mahasagar a year ago. Her project will revive 50 such plays over the next five years,with noted actors such as Vikram Gokhale,Mohan Joshi and Neena Kulkarni turning directors.

“A lot of people have told me that the project was too ambitious. When I see the kind of response we are getting,I feel a sense of achievement. The shows often get sold out on the first day of booking; which is a great sign,” she says.

Several other theatre producers too are bringing old,popular Marathi theatre back on stage. Some of the plays that are being revived are over half-a-century old. They were written by theatre stalwarts such as Jaywant Dalvi,Vasant Kanetkar,Baban Prabhu and Govind Ballal Deval. Some plays are even older,such as Sangeet Saunshaykallol,which was written by Govind Ballal Deval 90 years ago.

Nipun Dharmadhikari directed classic Marathi musicals such as Sangeet Saunshaykallol and Sangeet Manapman last year. He is currently planning another such revival but is silent on the details.

“In the West,classics are given great respect. Les Miserables is one of the longest running musicals. Marathi theatre has an equally rich heritage and our classics should be staged for people to enjoy them,” he says.

The audience that these plays draw,says Shirke,are mostly above 60 years of age. “There are many who come from the outskirts of Pune,travelling more than 100 km to watch these plays,” she adds.

The revival trend,she says,has increased the confidence of the producers to invest in these projects. “The plays are doing so well that we need more performance space,” says Shirke.

These plays are staged in all major Maharashtrian cities such as Mumbai,Pune,Kolhapur and Nashik.

“Theaters would often be empty a few years ago,but now,people are thronging in to watch plays. It’s not just the audience that has rediscovered its love for theatre; even noted Marathi actors like Pushkar Shotri,Jitendra Joshi,Neena Kulkarni and Mangesh Kadam are returning from the silver screen to the stage,” says Barve.