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Journalism of Courage
Kolkata-based group Theatrician stages Agatha Christies masterpiece Mousetrap,the longest-running play in the history of English drama.
When you have famous crime writer Agatha Christies masterpiece Mousetrap,a taut thriller about eight people thrown into a house and being murdered one by one,you have a sure hit on your hands. But rather than riding on its laurels,director Laura Mishra decided to make several changes in this longest-running play in the history of English drama.
After the play was first staged in 1952,the producers would always tell viewers not to reveal the ending. But unfortunately today anyone can know it from the Internet. So Mishra decided to change the ending every time its staged. She says,The script gives you scope to change the ending. That way it not only has repeat- value for viewers but also arouses their curiosity.
Apart from this,the 23-year-old also incorporated two different eras the 50s and 70s- in the play. So for the 50s the sets were conservative and the characters wore outfits in dark hues of grey,black and brown and looked prim and proper. While for the 70s, colourful sets replete with flowery décor and gramophone records were used. The actors were asked to watch the cult film Grease and had to imbibe peoples body language and master the lingo of that era. They also wore brighter outfits and had to be hip and happening. Mishra says that she depicted these two diverse eras as Mousetrap is timeless and can fit into any social scenario.
While Mishra was fairly confident about her production,she was apprehensive about the audience reaction. People usually come with a lot of preconceived notions so I was just hoping that they come with an open mind to view the play.
Mishra along with Tathagatha Chowdhury,who is producing the play,also curated a panel discussion along with actors Tanmay Ranjan and Vikramjit Chaudhury to publicise their production. Chowdhury says,The idea was to reach out to the audience. Usually a lot of comedies and classics are staged in Mumbai. And there are largely two types of viewers those who come to watch an experimental play with their friends and families and the commercial kind where viewers come only to get entertained. Thriller as a genre has high mass-appeal. It not only entertains the audience but also urges them to think.
Mousetrap premiered on January 29 at Mumbais Sophia Bhabha Auditorium.
