Dramatist-director Rakesh Ghosh’s new play about the forgotten comedian and female impersonator of the Bengali commercial stage, Amritalal Mukherjee (1854-90). His sensational tragic death occurred on 14 March 1890 when he cut the vein of his hand with a shaving razor after the performance of Girish Chandra Ghosh's Haranidhi at Star Theatre. Unmarried Bel-babu had […]
Marking Ritwik Ghatak’s birth centenary, this biodrama by Jeet Satragni, unlike the usual portrayal of Ghatak as an unwavering and fearless rebel, delicately explores his early years as a romantic and passionate lover of art. It traces his journey towards a stable career in cinema after marrying his muse, Surama, his time in Bombay before […]
Debasis Majumder‘s new play on the fragility of human relationships and the pain of breaking them. It highlights three major forms of separation: death, which is a natural consequence to be accepted without anger; physical distancing, which becomes a daily habit over time; and emotional separation, which occurs through conflict, betrayal or coercion and creates […]
One of Bohurupee’s best productions from the 1990s, written by Manoj Mitra, directed by Kumar Roy (on his birth centenary) and now revived by Sanjay Banerjee. Read my review of the original.
Director Debesh Chattopadhyay’s faithful interpretation of Buddhadeva Bose’s verse drama on Karna’s choice before the war begins. Read my review.
Sayak’s new production, written by Arijit Biswas, directed by Meghnad Bhattacharya. An old party wholetimer in a village guards a ruined building that once was his local party office. Vested interests want him evicted to construct a community centre-cum-supermart. The story of thousands of grassroots workers who gave their all for an ideology and who […]
Dario Fo’s comedy The Virtuous Burglar, adapted and directed by Amitava Dutta. A robber breaks into an apartment, but his plans are complicated when he discovers he’s not alone, has to face two sets of cheating partners, and is forced to act as a go-between and a peacemaker. The would-be criminal beomes the moral compass.
An oddly philosophical young woman on a whimsical, chaotic ride through growing up, falling in love and falling apart. Somewhere between a breakdown and a breakthrough, the truth begins to blur. A bittersweet story about finding meaning—if there is any at all. Written and directed by Dhrreti Bhatt. More performances on the 5th, 6th and […]
A young researcher visits an old, dilapidated hall in north Kolkata, whose octogenarian owner gradually starts narrating his story and the miraculous journey of a young Gomira dancer from a small village in Dinajpur to the world of Kolkata commercial theatre, as well as the complicated lives of others around him. Written and directed by […]
Inaugural day of 3-day festival, featuring Ekir Mikir's Santragachhir Jhil, Sagen Rakab Sosar Gaunta's Chadar Badar, and the highly-recommended (★★★★★) Taming of the Wild by the host group directed by Sudip Gupta.
