A comedy about youth growing up, finding their identity and falling in love

PHOTO: K. PICHUMANI

YOUTH APPEAL A scene being rehearsed from "Biloxi Blues"

A group of young people with a background in management and engineering decided to bring their skills to the theatre and "Evam" was born. Their marketing skills ensured big audiences for their seven productions so far. Over a cup of filter coffee, Kartik Kumar and Sunil Vishnu of Evam, and guest director Michael Muthu, explain their choice of "Biloxi Blues" for the MetroPlus Theatre Festival.

Kartik: Theatre is entertainment, to make people laugh or cry, get involved, forget themselves. Don't understand doing intellectual plays, I mean, nobody gets it. So yes, it's Neil Simon again after "Barefoot in the Park."

Sunil: He's witty, funny, engaging. "Biloxi Blues" is autobiographical, a comedy about growing up, making friends, falling in love, dealing with the boss, finding identity, learning to learn really.

Kartik: Bound to appeal to the young. Evam's target audience is the 18-35 age group.

Sunil: (Quickly) Surveys show that we draw older people too.

Kartik: What if "Biloxi Blues" happens in a military camp with World War II looming over it? One of the reasons I quit my job and took up theatre was watching this play directed in 1995 by Michael Muthu. I was 17 then and it felt great.

Muthu: Indian plays simply don't have the quality of good American or British plays. They're too self conscious and pass off their lack of confidence as doing experimental theatre.

Kartik: We do plan to do "Thuglaq", only because it's awesome, not because it's an Indian play.

Sunil: Earlier this year, Bhagirathi Narayanan directed "Evam Indrajit" for us. Asking Michael to direct "Biloxi Blues" is part of Evam's process of learning from other people. We're keeping Michael's original design.

Muthu: This is an American play about two young Jews facing anti-Semitic remarks and learning to find their own space, but what a universal situation!

Kartik: Like a hostel with people from different backgrounds. You learn to accept those differences.

Sunil: It's like watching your own story on the stage.

Kartik: Great to be premiering it at the MetroPlus Fest — it will bring new and bigger audiences to the theatre. Tickets are selling like crazy! This festival will put Chennai on the Indian theatre map.

GOWRI RAMNARAYAN