OF WITTY LINES AND EASY ACTING
It was an evening spent marvelling at the witty one-liners of George Bernard Shaw.
Naseeruddin Shah’s portrayal of Shaw was quite entertaining. Shaw and Shah, kept us wishing we could spew lines like them.
Ratna Pathak Shah was no less. She brought the fiery and dramatic Stella Campbell to life with her fine diction.
Her rendition of Eliza Doolittle’s character was charming.
The play was well-organised, and every little word or sigh was audible. I especially liked the part where Shah casually brushes the tassels of the carpet with his cane, making it fall in line with the rest — it was so effortless and real.
Dear Liar was a play high on repartee. One of Shaw’s lines that still stays with me is: ‘It would be a nice idea to go out perishing scandalously.’
Karen Xavier
Perambur
----
LOVE IN THE TIME FOR LETTERS
Dear Liar covered a significant part of the early 20th century, and documented a lovely relationship between celebrated author George Bernard Shaw and renowned actress Stella Campbell, over the currently forgotten mode of communication – hand-written letters.
The on-stage comfort between Naseer and Ratna Pathak was apparent, given they are also a real-life couple. The slight jab from Naseer as he playfully asked to be addressed as ‘Shaw’ and not ‘Shah’, was just the start of a masterful performance, as he entertained the audience with ease.
Be it his imitation of fellow playwright Barry, his narration about his mother’s funeral, several sarcastic remarks (only he can get away with referring to an eyebrow as a supplementary moustache) or his riotous attempt at poetry – he was in a class of his own.
The best line, in my opinion, was his explanation about the three levels of illiteracy, which received a rapturous applause from the audience.
Not to be left far behind, Ratna Pathak Shah’s outstanding imitation of the character Eliza Dolittle from Pygmalion will make one forget Audrey Hepburn, who played the character in the film My Fair Lady (based on the play). Ratna Pathak pulls off the character’s ‘cockney’ accent with ease.
The stage space is used well, with the actors moving around, even as they read out the letters, pausing just to capture the reaction from the other. The fantastic usage of lights creates terrific silhouettes.
The play started with both throwing friendly and flirty barbs at each other, but moved into more mature conversations, driven by the need for companionship, where even silence has value.
It succeeded in bringing out the fact that every relationship between the same or opposite sex need not necessarily culminate in a holy union (marriage) to sustain itself. Even in the age of social media and instant messaging, where no one is truly far way, it looks like old friendships are dying a slow death, with conversations being restricted to birthday wishes and condolences.
Perhaps, the key is to start writing those verbose letters!
Anand Sethuraman
East Tambaram
-----
TWO WORDS COUNTLESS EMOTIONS
Dear Liar — two simple words for a play, but it had the most elegantly and eloquently scripted lines I’ve come across in a while.
The language was music to the ears. Every now and then, we come across a theatrical piece or film that is captivating, simply because of the language used and the actors involved in it.
This was one such play. It was a demonstration of how theatre should be, and spoke volumes of true acting talent. It showed the incredible hard work and dedication that the actors had put into it, to be able to bring characters like George Bernard Shaw and Stella Campbell alive.
It’s natural to expect brilliant words from Shaw, and Naseeruddin Shah did not disappoint.
However, for me, it was Ratna Pathak Shah who stole the show. She made the character of Stella Campbell thoroughly intriguing, and made me feel for an actress who could have very well ushered in the golden age of cinema.
Her lines as Eliza Doolittle, that so many of us know by heart, were a delight to hear, as were most of her words to Bernard Shaw.
Overall, it was an excellent play for the opening night of The Hindu Theatre Fest 2016.
Gitanjali Sabu
Kilpauk
The Hindu Theatre Fest 2016
The Title Sponsor of the event is YES BANK. The Associate Sponsors are Kauvery Hospital, Hindustan International School and Telangana Tourism. The Hospitality Partner is Taj Coromandel. The Mall Partner is Phoenix Market City (Chennai). The Mobility Partner is Ola. The gift partner is Terra Earthfood. The Radio Partner is Chennai Live 104.8. The Merchandise Partner is Focus Art Gallery and the Event Manager is evam.
