Metro Plus
Bangalore
Chennai
Hyderabad
THE DIRECTOR'S CUT
Michael Muthu
Director Michael Muthu founded Boardwalkers in 1990, when he was just out of college. Over the years, Boardwalkers has worked with both college students and seasoned professionals, becoming one of the best-known theatre groups in the city.
"Our first production was `Jesus Christ Super Star', performed with a huge cast of 72 people in all: singers, dancers and actors. All the best talent in the city at that time," says Muthu, adding, "We did it three times. It became a tradition to do it every 4 years."
From comedies to dark tragedies, from the original rock opera "The Fallen," which he staged at last year's MetroPlus Theatre festival to "Amadeus", Muthu's repertoire has determinedly included a variety of genres of theatre. "Well, you get bored with comedy after a while," he says. "With comedy you can blindfold the audience, give them the lines and they'll laugh... I wanted something more challenging." "`Amadeus'," he says, "is built for melodrama and I love melodrama!"
It was, in many ways, the obvious choice. "This is easily the most exciting play that I have ever read — it is scripted and structured almost to perfection and has a pace that does not quit till the end," says Muthu, adding that he has been wanting to stage this play ever since he read the script about ten years go. "It's a fantastic play, but I never found the cast." Muthu says he even started rehearsals a couple of years back, but somehow the play "never came through."
"The MetroPlus Theatre Festival seemed like the perfect place to stage it," he says, adding that with more theatre happening in the city the pool of local talent has also increased considerably. And, by a happy coincidence, this year also happens to be Mozart's 250th anniversary.
An immensely ambitious project, "Amadeus" needs a large canvas and skilful direction. "It's very large scale and there are many ways of doing it." Most directors choose to go with either a grand or minimalistic version. "I chose to the tread the middle path." So the sets he's using are grand , and like the costumes they reflect the age. Muthu is a talented set designer, who creates elaborate backdrops for his plays as well as the productions of local theatre groups.
"However, my main focus is performance," says Muthu, "To stop acting and become the person... The story is easy enough for the audience to identify with in spite of being a different time and culture. The themes are universal, and the emotion, very human."
On August 11, 7.15 p.m.
The Music Academy
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