Marius von Mayenburg’s The Ugly One is Akvarious Production’s first play to be premiered outside Mumbai. Akarsh Khurana, the director, says: “We have been around for 12 years, and this is our 40th production.”
Translated by Maja Jade, The Ugly One is a social satire. K thinks he is normal until his boss bans him from presenting his new invention at a convention because he is ugly. His wife loves him but she too considers him unspeakably ugly. K turns to a plastic surgeon for help. From ugly to handsome, K’s life is marked by an unexpected unfolding of events.
So has Akarsh experimented with makeup to show K as ugly? “No,” comes the answer. “The best part of the play is that it is all about perception. It is through dialogues that the audience perceives K as ugly. The theme that runs through the play is that beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” Akarsh has remained true to the script, apart from changing the names of the characters, as they were in German and not easy to pronounce. “There is a lovely rhythm to the dialogues. There are short, smart lines with a few long dialogues for a break. It is not verbose.”
Avkarious Productions and Jagriti Theatre have an association that dates back to Jagriti’s Season Twenty Twelve. So, coming back to Jagriti for the ‘Curtain Raisers’ festival seemed natural. “We have staged The Interview and Sometimes . I genuinely love the space.” The Ugly One is being staged at Jagriti Theatre at 8 p.m. on February 8 and 9 and at 3 and 6.30 p.m. on February 10. The cast includes Adhir Bhat, Vivaan Shah, Chaitnya Sharma, Shikha Talsania with Adhaar Khurana and Sarang Sathaye. Tickets are priced at Rs. 250 and are available at bookmyshow.com and at the venue. Entry is for those 16 years and older only. Call 41242879.
