There is a Persian queen from 4000 years ago who finds mention in different historical texts, including The Bible and The Quran. Playwright Shekinah Jacob was fascinated by version of the immigrant Jewish woman, who was thrust into a role she was hesitant to play, and yet, changed the course of history by stopping (what Jacob believes) would have been the first holocaust. “Queen Esther had her back up against the wall when she shed her fear to stand up for her people. I liked the sort of resonance her story has with global issues at play today,” says Jacob, who scripted and directed Queen of Hearts - A Musical.
The play is about a young Jewish woman, Esther (played by Elizabeth John), who is captured to be part of King Xerxes’ harem and eventually forced to marry him. She does not like him, for he chastises and abandons his former queen for refusing to parade herself in front of his ministers. The king, played by actor Chetan Rao, however, falls in love with Esther. “The character is well-written and has a very solid graph,” says Rao. “He starts off as an ignorant, arrogant man who is challenged by queen Esther’s intellect and personality. He dissolves into a lovesick man who wants to charm his queen and win her heart,” he says.
Though the story has its roots in history, the play is a modern, feminist take on issues relevant to us today.
“It’s like showcasing the same painting, but changing the frame. Four thousand years later, we still have issues with immigrants, minority communities are castigated, and women are treated badly. The themes haven’t really changed. I just wanted to showcase it in a new format,” says Jacob. In this case, it’s a multi-genre musical. So, King Xerxes has a big Bollywood dance wedding; Haymaan the villainous minister breaks into rap, and the army advances on the Jews as heavy metal music stirs in the background. “Lots of musicals are western and old-fashioned, so I wanted to serve something fresh. Luckily, since history reveals that king Xerxes ruled over 127 provinces, I could stylistically use influences from India to Ethiopia,” says Jacob.
Richard David Tholoor, winner of European and Australian Salsa Championship 2007, choreographed and performs the dance sequences in the play. “We’ve used a little bit of salsa, jive, Bollywood, contemporary and some hip hop to depict what the characters are experiencing through movement.”
The play is staged by Open House (OH) Productions, a Bangalore-based theatre company, which was started by Jacob in Chennai in 2012 . This production takes the stage in Chennai as the final performance for this season, following shows in Vellore, Sharjah and Bangalore. “It’s like a home show for us in many ways,” says Jacob.
Queen of Hearts will be staged at Museum Theatre, Egmore, today at 7 pm. Tickets priced at ₹500, ₹300 and ₹200 available on bookmyshow.com. 7358170482
