Theatre actor Tom Alter learns chaste Marathi to play Lucky in the Marathi version of Samuel Beckett's cult tragicomedy that's steadily gaining an audience
Theatre actor Tom Alter learns chaste Marathi to play Lucky in the Marathi version of Samuel Beckett's cult tragicomedy that's steadily gaining an audience
What do the director, producer and star attraction of a play do when they have been associated with a play for over 35 years?
They get together and turn the production into a whole new challenge. That's what happened with the Marathi version of Samuel Beckett's classic Waiting for Godot that's being staged by Natyasampada and Natyanath this weekend. The highlight is veteran actor Tom Alter who plays Lucky, yet again.
Marathi class in session
The challenges were many, beginning with Tom having to learn to speak Marathi, and delivering Lucky's famed soliloquy.
"Tom did not want to simply learn the text, and spout the words. He wanted to know the exact meaning of every word used and understand the change in the nuances, especially of the soliloquy in its Marathi avtaar," recalls Arun Hornekar, director, who along with Marathi theatre music director Anant Amemble gave Tom a crash course in the language.
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Producer Anant Panshikar from Natyasampada, had his own set of trials. "It is not an experimental but a commercial play, so the dynamics of the production had to change.
Until now, there has been no group that's tried to present the play before audiences on this big a scale," he says. Panshikar is happy with the initial response since audiences have been building up steadily.
What makes him even happier is that the crowd has been dominated by youngsters. "College-going kids and theatre students who have studied the play as part of their syllabus, have been trouping into the auditorium," he smiles.
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They are glued to their seats
The onus of making sure audiences didn't leave midway through the performance lay on Hornekar. Godot has been part of his life since his college days, when he first acted in the play.
He has worked on several productions since then but this is the first time he's presenting it before an audience that's used to slapstick comedies that are passed off as commercial Marathi theatre.
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"We haven't cut or adapted the script, so the play runs into three hours.
As director, I've tried to ensure that it doesn't scare away audiences who have not heard of Godot. I've tried to keep them glued to their seats," says Hornekar.
AT: Mini Theatre, Ravindra Natya Mandir, near Siddhivinayak Temple Prabhadevi. Tickets: Rs 100. Call:u00a0 9322239751/ 932384036. On:u00a0 June 13 at 7 pm, June 14 at 4 pm
What's the play about?
Waiting for Godot has been voted the most significant play of the 20th century. It's about two tramps, Vladimir and Estragon, who are waiting for someone called Godot.
Throughout the play, it's unclear who or what is Godot. Irish writer, dramatist and poet Samuel Beckett wrote the play in French and translated it into English. The play was first staged in 1953.
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