Reviews
BARRICADE | 1984?
Indisputably, Debesh Chattopadhyay has evolved into one of Bengali theatre’s most powerful as well as thinking senior directors—I write this mindful of the fact that theatrical impact does not necessarily
Reviews
ATMAJAN
For those who aspire to write popular domestic drama, the recipe doesn’t demand much. Just get the main characters into various crises as follows: 1) an elderly parent in poor
JANMADIN MRITYUDIN | OCTOPUS LTD.
Once halls started taking bookings again post-lockdown, several groups strategized a pragmatic solution to their unpreparedness after the long, forced hiatus by joining hands to present double bills of one-act
Reviews
DHRUBAPADA | TARURAG
Among the Bengali groups who premiered new productions with alacrity soon after theatres reopened following the first lockdown, two Sanghas located just outside Kolkata put on full-length originals featuring strong
BAISHE AUGUST | KAL NIRABADHI
The temptation to recycle tried-and-tested practices may cause two promising Bengali groups outside Kolkata to rethink these methods. After their explosive debut with Kojāgari (read my review here), Belgharia Avimukh
KRISHNEI’S KRISHNA | THE CANNONBALL MOMENT
Quite by chance, two educational bodies staged big-budget amateur English-language productions in May of originally-composed spiritual drama, Hindu and Christian respectively: Krishnei’s Krishna by Chinmaya Mission Study Group and The
Reviews
RASA-BALA-BUDDHI
Our unique Sanskrit troupe, Chidakash Kalalay, now has its own space tastefully constructed in an indigenous manner by Anubha Fatehpuria and Richa Bose, in Boral just south of Kolkata, where
Reviews
GHUM NEI | TITUMIR
A sudden and inexplicable, yet most welcome, surge of interest in Utpal Dutt’s plays ignited Bengali theatre before Covid struck. Lockdown paused these productions, which have now returned, frequently house-full,
Reviews
JHARER CHUROY | RUP-KRANTI
Among the groups that rehearsed through the lockdown, Shohan not only staged one new play in early 2021 but premiered another towards the end of the year. The productions form
Reviews
DOSH | TAJ MAHAL KA UDGHATAN
Padatik / rikh-, like several other groups, have revived their interrupted pre-pandemic productions as well as mounted a brand-new play. Vinay Sharma’s two-hander titled Dosh features Mumbai actors Harsh Khurana
MATIR GARI MRICHCHHAKATIK | CREON O ANTIGONE
Naye Natua is among those Bengali groups partial to classics, and like Kathakriti, revived dramatic masterpieces both before and after the lockdown, maintaining a
KHAT | THE PLAGUE–A FIGHT AGAINST
Nandipat’s Narir Mancha this year spotlighted productions by women directors, as many as eleven of them. Among these, the two of longest duration dealt with cataclysmic traumas affecting humanity, not