Sunil Gangopadhyay, among Bengal's foremost novelists and poets, reveals the hypocrisy of society in his only play, “The King The Queen”. Highly nuanced, “The King The Queen” portrays the desire of ordinary people to break out of the roles imposed by society and be kings and queens. Through the stories of a king, his wife, goons, a police officer, a heartbroken lover, a maid, a comedian and a film production team, the play reflects the conflict each of us faces between what is expected of us and how we view ourselves.
Crossroad Serenaders, a Bengali theatre group, adapted “The King The Queen” in English and staged it at ADA Rangamandira last week. Directed by Amitava Baksy and translated by Indrani Baksy, the performance could have been competent had a little more attention been paid to the acting.
The performances were inconsistent, except for that of the endearing maid and the wife. Though humorous in parts, the play failed to impress. The second act was comparatively well played, with some interesting scenes, but it still left much to be desired. Translation is a difficult art, and the balance between fantasy and reality was ineffectively captured here.
The production did have some praiseworthy aspects. The sets were attractive, the stage management neat and the lights minimal, yet effective. Crossroad Serenaders, however, should be given credit for their attempt at making regional theatre known.
