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Tag: Theatre

Kingdom of Dream Launches New Shows…!!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Kingdom of Dreams, the first to introduce a unique, Broadway style theatre in the country are now taking it a step ahead. KoD has now added four new shows to their schedule, which are performed on ice. Called ‘Theatre on Ice’, the first performance is on the childhood fantasy tale, Alice in Wonderland. Ice Vision, a troupe from St. Petersburg, Russia, is bringing the theatrical extravaganza to life. Ice Vision is famous for their unique style of performance and has worked with leading music composers like Gennadiy Gladkov and Alexsey Rybinkov. The troupe consists of more than 25 actors and stars, known world-wide like Alexey Urmanov, Irina Slutskaya etc.

We caught a preview of this musical extravaganza, and have to say that the performances, the choreography, the graphics and the way entire show was put up demands an applause. The hardworking that has gone into making it a success is evident when you see the show. The entire show is performed on ice where in the artists are wearing ice skates. Wearing ice skates, and gliding on the snow as they act and dance in itself is a treat to watch.With a healthy mix of projections and props, the performers told us the tale of Alice and her adventures in Wonderland.

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Speaking about the new shows, Mr. Anumod Sharma, MD, Kingdom of Dreams said, “We are proud to bring such unique art form to India. Performance on Ice needs a lot of practice and precision and the ICE Vision does it brilliantly. Such story telling is being performed for the first time and we can’t wait for the audiences to come and experience this grand performance. It is something the audiences will never forget.”

The troupe will also perform 3 other stories namely, ‘Dracula – The story of eternal love’ , ‘Arabian Nights’ and ‘Nutcracker and lord of the darkness’.

“We always give our audiences something unique and artistic. The Theatre on Ice is another one of our attempts to live up to our reputation off being pioneers in promoting Broadway style shows,” Sharma added.

Speaking about the performance, a member of Ice Vision said ‘ We are excited and thrilled to perform in India and looking forward to an amazing experience. We have performed in a lot of countries but never in India before. We hope we get a great response from the audience and look forward to receiving some great Indian hospitality”.

These shows will be added to the current schedule of Kingdom of Dreams. Zangoora and Jumbo will continue to be performed. The Theatre on Ice shows will be performed only for a limited period at the Nautanki Mahal. So please make the most of it while it snows.. don’t forget to watch these timeless tales in a new avatar and enjoy these moments with family and friends.

Namaste Jaishree Krishna- A hilarious play on old gen vs new gen conflicts!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Pelican Entertainment brought to the city the play, Namaste Jai Shree Krishna on 02.09.17 at the Pearey Lal Bhawan, New Delhi.

The play directed by veteran theatre and movie artist K K Raina who also enacts along with the irrepressible Ila Arun and ably supported by Aditi Sharma, Ashutosh Pandit and Abhishek Pandey is a hilarious take on the conflict between old traditions and the emerging values of the new generation.

It takes you skillfully and humorously through the continuous conflict of the old and the new. It takes you through the journey of the youth not ready to accept old ideologies readily and the old not accepting the progressive view point of the youth.

The play takes you through a gamut of emotions from philosophy to humor to laughter to sadness and nostalgic at times.
The cast deserves a special applaud for bringing on each and every emotion beautifully across. A really rivetting play which makes you laugh and think at the same time. And the best part is that you just can’t stop applauding.

A treat for the theater lover. Not to be missed at any cost.
Aditya Chauhan, CEO, Pelican Entertainment said, “Theatre is that moon in my past which will glitter throughout my life no matter what profession I pursue. It is something that will help you to explore your personality better and I guess this could also be the reason that people after doing theater even for once can never really get detached of it.”

Ghungroo- Delhi’s Only Dinner Theatre, An Experience Beyond Words!

Posted on by Sunil Malhotra

Tucked away at Parsi Anjuman, Bahadurshah Zafar Road, Ghungroo is Delhi’s one and only Dinner Theatre. The concept of dinner theatre in itself is very unusual and thoughtful at the same time and Rudra Experiences are doing a wonderful job of bringing different experiences for us to explore. An absolutely wonderful experience to spend an evening with family n friends. We recently got a chance to witness this and I am so glad we went for it, and trust me I already look forward to going there again, it was so wonderful.


The music and dance show which traces the history of Delhi from the times of its first documented ruler Prithvi Raj Chauhan to its present along with the Audio Visuals is a treat to watch.



As the mesmerizing performances take you through the journey of Delhi becoming the seat of power and it’s cultural impact across India, you are literally on the edge of your seat, and can’t take your eyes off the dancers.



Its  beautifully choreographed and equally well performed and each of the act deserves accolades.
A most interesting musical journey from the Sounds of Yore to the present day. Simply enthralling one hour spent and you cant have a better form of entertainment than this.

For us it was experience beyond words can describe and we created memories for a lifetime.


After the spellbinding performances  a gastronomical delight at Angaare the open air barbecue awaited us
An authentic Indian Barbecue which served delicacies as Seekh Kebabs, Chicken Tikka, Fish Tikka, Paneer Tikka and Mushrooms.
All slow cooked with delicate spices and perfectly done.
Also to accompany the tandoori delicacies were ChickenC, Dal Tadka and Vegetables along with  Tandoori breads.
For dessert there was the Shahi Tukda and Jalebi .Both awesome.
All in all great food and is highly recommended.
A great theatre experience followed by delicious food. Sitting out in the open and enjoying the sumptuous food is a treat.


Don’t miss this for anything, indulge in it and experience Delhi’s culture like never before, its totally worth your time and money, catch a glimpse here

You can check the details here and also book yourself a seat, http://rudraxp.com/daytrip/ghungroo-sounds-of-yore/ so what are you waiting for.. do it right away..

‘Massage’ By Rakesh Bedi, a true massage for your emotions!

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Massage is a play that really massages your emotions. No words can really express the roller coaster ride of emotions that one goes through while watching the play. From laughter, to the agony of struggle, love, betrayal, guilt, it has heavy doses of everything. The best and the most unique part about this play is that one single person portrays all these emotions and that’s none other than super talented actor Rakesh Bedi.

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It’s a monologue and he enacts 24 characters in the play and each one of them is a treat to watch. The ease with which Rakesh gets into the skin of each character is commendable. His voice modulation, his walk, his gestures, his expressions, everything changes in a flash of a second as he walks in and out of one character to the other. I have been watching Rakesh Bedi in movies and TV serials and have always been an admirer of his effortless and spontaneous acting, but to perform alone, non-stop for two hours, without any scope of cuts and improvisations and play so many characters is another level. I truly respect him now as an actor after watching this show and I am sure anyone who ever watches this show cannot ignore the efforts put in by Rakesh to make this show a success. I saw the show last week and here I am writing about it after almost 10 days, because the show kept growing on me, there have been instances where certain scenes of the play just flash in front of my eyes and I long to see it again.

‘MASSAGE’ tells the story of Happy Kumar, a common man who comes to the big city of Mumbai with his pockets empty but dreams of becoming a hero. He passes through ups and downs, successes and failures, hope and despair, joys and sorrows, lanes and by lanes of the city. Rakesh Bedi’s enact of 24 different characters range from a Punjabi film producer to a South Indian actress and a Bihari politician. Happy Kumar leaves the film industry to become a gym instructor and then destiny takes a turn. The title MASSAGE refers to the massage of a person’s emotional state of mind. Though unable to realize his dream of becoming a hero, Happy Kumar is a happy loser. All his characters are noteworthy, but a few need a special mention. His portrayal of Kohli Saab, the producer with over the top Punjabi mannerisms, is simply amazing. The way Bedi changes his voice and his body language, you can actually visualize Kohli, a fat surd who talks loud, drinks a couple of pegs and gets emotional. Though Bedi doesn’t use a single prop to depict all of this, but you can see. His role as Minister’s PA, Pandey with his slurred speech is commendable and I think his best ever. The way he enacts scenes with so much finesse you almost forget that he is performing alone; you can actually visualize the entire scene and see other characters also. The scene where Heroine’s mother molests him in the music room, his walking up the stairs of his chawl, or massaging the back of Mrs. Kohli, every moment can be sensed, felt and seen.

Towards the climax, when Rakesh is reading a letter left behind by his wife Shanta, he exudes so much pain in his voice that your heart reaches out to him.

I feel privileged to not just have seen this show but also met this legendry actor in person where he shared his journey with this show that started 13 years ago. Check out what he had to say

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Watching ‘Massage’ was really a massage for all my emotions and I loved it so much that I am eagerly waiting for it to happen again. I would like to thank and appreciate the efforts out in by 3 Bells Productions in getting best of the plays in this two day Mon – Key Shanti Theatre Festival and I look forward to many more events by them. Wishing them luck and 3 cheers for Mr. Rakesh Bedi.

Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival Day 2- Dance Like a Man

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

The Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival by 3 Bells Productions truly came as something that provided me with a lot of man ki shanti. Spread over two days, it showcased 5 of the top plays of the country. I am glad that I managed to see at least 4 out of those 5. Day 2 on MSTF16 showcased ‘Uproute’(which I missed), ‘Dance Like a Man’ and ‘Massage’.

I cannot describe my experience of both these plays in one post and hence I am dedicating this post to ‘Dance Like a Man’ and would cover ‘Massage’ in the next post.

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I am doing so because both these plays were very different from each other and yet similar, as they had a strong message to give out. They rendered me speechless and now that I have found my words, here is a gist of what I saw and what I felt.

We often assume that men aren’t the victims of gender discrimination, it’s only the women who suffer, but it’s not true. Men also go through the agony of proving themselves on the yardstick of masculinity. Mahesh Datani’s ‘Dance Like A Man’ portrays just that.

Mahesh Datani in ‘Dance Like a Man’ has very beautifully shown the Indian culture and the social issues that have been in the society since inception. The theme of the play revolves around ambition, career, relationships, family responsibilities and society, all against the backdrop of dance as an art form.

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The play tells the story of three generations; Jairaj and Ratna, their daughter Lata and her finace Vishwas and also using the technique of flashback, Jairaj’s father Amritlal. Jairaj and Ratna have a constant conflict with Amritlal, who doesn’t understand their devotion to dance and more especially of Jairaj. As per him dance is made only for females and no respectable man will ever pursue a dance as his career or profession. He feared his son becoming womanly and hence it was unimaginable for him to see his son dancing.

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Dance had different meanings for different characters in the play. For Amritlal it was only a hobby that too for women and men shouldn’t pursue it at all. For Jairaj, it was a form of self-expression, and he wanted to develop a career in it. For Ratna, dance was her ambition, she had these slight shades of grey in her character, like she married Jairaj only because he was a dancer, as husband and wife they didn’t share a very loving relationship. In fact she even joins hands with her father in law in destroying Jairaj’s career as a dancer in order to pursue her own dreams. Ratna not only curbs jairaj’s ambitions and desires by constantly misleading him, but also moulds their daughter lata into becoming a traditional dancer. Lata on the other hand, though passionate about dancing, but did not think of it as a means to earn money or fame. For her dancing was an art form that she loved pursuing as a hobby. She had a balanced mind unlike her parents. She was strong headed too, she wanted to marry Vishwas but did not want to give up on her passion for dance. In the beginning of the play itself she once asks Vishwas if he would allow her to practice dancing after marriage.

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It’s indeed a beautiful play that touches hearts and brings in light the plight of our society and poses a question on gender discrimination. Datani has shown that not only women but also men suffer the burnt of gender discrimination and are not allowed to follow their passions if they aren’t accepted by the society. The actors are commendable. Each one of them seemed in the skin of the character. But a special mention for Gunit and Paras who played the roles of Lata and Vishwas and also the younger versions of Jairaj and Ratna. How comfortably they switched themselves from one role to another, it was a delight to watch. Also the director Prof. K.S. Rajendran’s  control over the entire play is just amazing.

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Prof. Rajendran teaches at the National School of Drama. He is a well known director of plays in various Indian languages.
His directorial work ranges from adaptations of Shakespeare, Brecht, Ionesco and Genet to contemporary playwrights and authors such as Omchery, Shankara Pillai, Shiva Prakash, Tendulkar, Alekar, Kambar, Indira Parthasarathy and Lalit Mohan Thapalyal, besides Sanskrit classics by Kalidasa, Bhavabhuti and Shudraka.
He has conducted workshops and lectured on theatre in India and abroad.
His noted productions include MARAT/SADE, UTTARA RAMA CHARITAM, GirishKarnad’s WEDDING ALBUM, MACBETH, AURANGZEB and VIKRAMORVASHIYAM.

If you have missed out on watching it this time, plus do catch up whenever the show happens next, I am sure you will love it as much as I did. I am thankful to 3 Bells Productions for organising such a great theatre festival and giving us an opportunity to witness something as beautiful and meaningful like this play.

Laughter Comes In Its Best Form At The Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival- Day 1

Posted on by Aditi Malhotra

Laughter truly is the best medicine, there can be nothing better than to hold on to your stomach and roll on the floor laughing to the content of your heart. But in today’s stressful life, laughter doesn’t come easy and at such a time the Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival by 3 Bells Productions came in as a perfect rescue. Its a two day long theatre festival that brings five of the country’s top running shows, not just comedy but also some soul searching dramas. This was the second season for the festival and I am sure it would be much more successful than their earlier edition.

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Today being the first day, two shows were planned and both were in the genre of comedy. The first play was ‘Perfect Wedding’. An English Comedy Play ‘Perfect Wedding’, directed by Dushyant Babbar is a laughter riot with chaos and confusion created by an appalling situation.

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A bridegroom wakes on his wedding morning in his own bridal suite, with his bride-to-be about to arrive any moment, and finds a strange girl in bed beside him. What’s more an extremely attractive girl whom, in the depths of his post stag-night hangover, he can’t remotely remember even having been introduced to. Worse – during the ensuing panic to get the stranger dressed and out of the way, the bride arrives, the girl is trapped in the bathroom, the best man pretends the hidden girl is his girl friend, his real girl friend has to be kept ignorant of the fact, and the hotel chamber maid gets mistaken for everybody’s girl friend. By the time the bride’s parents and half the hotel staff get in on the act, the chaos reaches nuclear proportions! It is that rare combination – a riotous comedy and a touching love story at the same time.

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Dushant’s direction and his acting, both were commendable. He was simply the show stealer with his spontaneous act. Also the show is written very well, the dialogues are real and one can easily relate to them, they are simple to understand and yet very impactful. I loved the play and thoroughly enjoyed the confusions. There was a subtle message in the play that one needs to really be very sure of the decisions we make in life and especially like getting married to someone. One should not just go by what others say but really evaluate if we have found the right person and then only take such a big decision of life.

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Written and directed by M. Sayeed Alam, a political science teacher-turned-full time-theatre practitioner ‘Cut…Cut…Cut’ was the second show of the evening and having seen Ghalib in Delhi by Sayeed Alam, my expectations from this show were super high and I wasn’t disappointed a bit. Slapstick comedy which is built in day to day situations is an art that Sayeed Alam captures very well in his plays.

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Tragedy for them…comedy for us ‘CutCutCut’ comically deals with the chaos, catastrophes and calamities that strike Pierrot’s Troupe whenever it rehearses a play.
In the process, the play brings forth funny characters; hilarious situations; comic relationships and bizarre events, besides taking an amusing look into many more problems that a theatre group faces.

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The play opens with the director being stressed and harassed rehearsing for his upcoming show with his bunch of actors and the script writer whose only job is to correct the horribly wrong accent or ‘Talafuz’ (as called in the play) of the actors. The ego clashes between the director and script writer leave people in splits. The comedy isn’t forced, but built in beautifully in the situations. As they day of performance comes nearer, the irritation of the director keeps increasing, and so does the chaos. Finally the day of performance arises and is showcased very beautifully with both back stage and on stage drama. How the director keeps improvising his actors and prompts them to do better, his frustration on their wrongs and constant contrast of backstage and on stage is sheer fun to watch.

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Harish Chabbra who plays the role of the director was truly the show stopper. His acting skills are remarkable and the ease that he brings about in his dialogue delivery and his comic timing is just super. Rest of the cast was commendable as well. I really enjoyed the show and look forward to more shows by Pierrot’s Troupe as I have become a big fan of Sayeed Alam’s direction.

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It was a Saturday well spent and I am so looking forward to the plays scheduled for tomorrow. If you have missed being at the Mon- Key Shanti Theatre Festival today, please don’t miss it tomorrow. They have some amazing shows lined up. ‘Uproute’ which is a physical theatre piece exploring the subject of home and exile, based on three of Miguel Cervantes’ Exemplary Novels. The performance consists of three short pieces that explore the aforementioned recurring themes in Cervantes’ writing.
Mahesh Dattani’s ‘Dance Like A Man’ centres on an individual’s plight, where a dying form of art serves as the backdrop.
And ‘MASSAGE’ that tells the story of Happy Kumar, a common man who comes to the big city of Mumbai with his pockets empty but dreams of becoming a hero. He passes through ups and downs, successes and failures, hope and despair, joys and sorrows, lanes and by lanes of the city. In this two-hour monologue, Rakesh Bedi enacts 24 different characters.

For tickets and other queries, do follow 3 Bells Productions and make most of The Mon-Key Shanti Theatre Festival.Enjoy!

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