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Responses to The Hindu MetroPlus Theatre Festival

Good acting

I watched all the nine plays at the festival. Overall, the show was not up to the mark. While "A Very British Affair" was difficult for the locals to appreciate, "Macbeth" and "Amadeus" were disappointing.

However, "The Shadow Box" was well made and "Othello" was presented in a novel way. Director Balakrishnan did a good job with "Thicker Than Blood" — a sensitive theme handled well. "Goa" did not appeal much especially since the dialogue delivery was poor. "Beyond Therapy" managed to tickle the funny bone despite dealing with a controversial topic.

But that one outstanding play was undoubtedly Arundhati Raja's "Valley Song." Jagdish Raja was simply brilliant, so was Nandini Rao.

A word of praise for the volunteers, especially those in charge of parking. Looking forward to the next edition of the festival!

R. Krishnan
Velachery

Welcome move

It's a welcome move on the part of The Hindu to organise the 2nd edition of the theatre festival. The very first play was an iconoclast of theatre. "Macbeth" was a little disappointing though it was from the stable of Alyque Padamsee. There was variety and the arrangements were good. Only one felt some plays were a little too long. Why not have an exclusive edition of vernacular plays?

Valli Arunachalam
Principal, PSBB Sr. Sec. School,
Nungambakkam

The magic was missing

Alas and alack, `twas a great tale sadly told...

In any case, the buzz had reached such monumental proportions for Alyque Padamsee's production of "Macbeth" that, in retrospect, maybe expectations so inflated were bound to fail. Then again, it looked like a fail-proof package: the Great Man as director, old hands like Gerson DaCunha, Vijay Crishna and Lushin Dubey treading the boards, Louis Banks' music, Tarun Tahiliani's costumes, Fali Unwalla's sets and, above all, the subject matter being none other than one of Shakespeare's most powerful plays, dealing with ambition, hubris and Nemesis.

Crishna mumbled his way expressionlessly through most of the lines, (one actually winced every time he blotched the big speeches), neatly snapping any thread he may have had with the ready-to-be-enthralled audience. Dubey was good in parts though rather too mannered in others. The supporting cast was less than supportive. The music was evocative; the costumes were wonderful, the sets were good and as for the Tantra motif, maybe it was a tad overdone, gaining in caricature more than substance as the play wore on.

All in all, a disappointing evening. Certainly not the jewel in the crown of the much-anticipated theatre festival. The real heroes were the people who watched but didn't get restive.

Sheila Kumar
Avadi

A treat, indeed

Thank you for the 2nd edition of the festival. I have been a patron of theatre for the past 35 years, and a festival like this is a real treat.

Apart from "Goa" and "Thicker than Blood," in which the acting left a lot to be desired, the standard was very high. The local groups came up trumps.

However, I would like to make a few points. For those who buy season or daily tickets in advance, numbered seats would be convenient. Also, the length of each play should be mentioned as it would help people plan their evening.

I'd like to add that the Chennai audience was exemplary. They sat through even mediocre performances patiently and politely. Looking forward to the 2007 festival.

Hema Parthasarathy
Alwarpet

Unfair review

I am afraid Gowri Ramnarayan has not been fair to Alyque Padamsee in her review of "Macbeth." She was critical of the manner in which the play commenced with "a skull suspended above dark rites" and ended with "the blood-splashed head of Macbeth."

"Is this how we want to see Shakespeare," wondered the reviewer. My answer to this is that the play itself is a study in fear. Therefore, her question about whether one should see "blood and gore on stage" surprises me. Perhaps, the only shortcoming in the play was in mixing up Tantra and witchcraft.

That evening I felt I was at The Globe and not the Music Academy!

M. K. Chubby Raj
Kotturpuram

Lacklustre affair

It was with much expectation that many theatre lovers like me bought season tickets for the theatre festival. But it is with mixed feelings that I look back on the event, and for a number of reasons.

As for the selection of plays , I feel many of them did not deserve to be staged. If your objective was to present quality drama, I suggest you have done yourself no favour.

Having said that, I happily acknowledge that a few plays were quite enjoyable. I believe a well-organised festival can eventually become a benchmark of quality.

Prema Koshy
Ganapathy Colony

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