With a private performance featuring icons like Sabira Merchant, Ronnie Screwvala and Roger Pereira, the 84-year old Theatre Group Bombay returns to the stage, with the intent to organise workshops and productions later this year
Nikki Bedi and Ronnie Screwvala (right, inset) in a moment from Othello. Pics Courtesy/Theatre Group Bombay
There are times when a conversation turns into a time machine. As Roger Pereira speaks of his years at St Xavier’s College, he casually mentions commuting with a certain Joy Mukherjee on the local train from Bandra to Churchgate. Yet, the surreal experience is not out of place in the context of our conversation. With the Theatre Group Bombay announcing a return to the city stage, nostalgia is in the air.
A league of their own
Established by Sultan ‘Bobby’ Padamsee in 1941, the group took its name from Stella Adler-Lee Strasberg led Group Theatre movement in New York. “It was the first English theatre group in the city,” shares current president Raell Padamsee.
A dated photograph of Raell (left) and Alyque Padamsee. File Pic
The legendary Adi Marzban moved from Gujarati theatre, Derek Jefferies and even Ebrahim Alkazi, who directed Macbeth for the group. Pereira was picked by Alkazi during an inter-collegiate performance in the early 1950s. “My first production was The Man Who Came to Dinner in 1960 under Adi Marzban,” he shares.
Another towering name in the city’s theatre circuit, Sabira Merchant recalls, “I just walked in to audition for Alyque and Pearl [Padamsees]. I read for the part of a school girl, despite having had three children. My first play was The Word by Pratap Sharma.”
Sabira Merchant as Blanche Dubois with Dalip Tahil (in background) as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire
Advertising company
“Alyque was my boss at Lintas. I was an executive in the film department,” shares Denzil Smith, among the younger members of the seasoned squad. Advertising was the bread and butter for many of them. “Alkazi recruited me for Shilpi [Alkazi’s agency]. Nissim Ezekiel was in a managerial role, while Vijaya Mehta then Jaywant was also part of the agency. It helped us take care of the chai-paani,” adds Pereira, tongue-in-cheek. Smith reveals, “Alyque would often hire actors in some capacity, on account of their creativity.”
Radical moves
Merchant attributes the group, and Alyque’s experimentations, as a key feature. “We experimented a lot. We read from different plays and poetry to open up our voices. We would also do extempore acting,” the 82-year-old shares.
Nosherwan Jehangir and Roger Pereira in Gieve Patel’s Savaksa
In 1966, the group established the Sultan Padamsee award for playwriting. Gurcharan Das’ Larins Sahib won it the first year. Pereira would play a part when the production would be staged later. His ‘college mate’ Gieve Patel would win it the following year for Princes.
Smith says, “Theatre Group would produce very radical scripts. They did a lot of Indian English writing, and the classics and musicals as well — from Jesus Christ Superstar to Evita.” Merchant won the National Award for her performance as Blanche Dubois in A Streetcar Named Desire. “One of my favourite performances,” the thespian recalls.
Sabira Merchant (left) and Farrokh Mehta in A Streetcar Named Desire
Another familiar name is Ronnie Screwvala. “Theatre shaped all my skills as an entrepreneur,” says the producer who began his journey as Petruchio in Shakespeare’s Taming of the Shrew. “With Alyque, I was in Othello. But my other fond memory is with Pearl directing me in Children of a Lesser God, where I had to learn sign language,” he shares.
Ebrahim Alkazi
Return of the old guard
On Saturday, the old guard will return to a venue in Malabar Hill for a nostalgic performance. Meher and Nosherwan Jehangir will play Petruchio and Katherina from Taming Of The Shrew. Screwvala will take on Brutus’s iconic monologue, while Pereira and Farid Currim will play Othello and Iago. Merchant will play Lady Macbeth. “It is a tribute to Alyque, who was instrumental in my growth. He cast me as Julius Caesar for an unfinished play. Imagine that,” she recalls.
Denzil Smith
For Raell, it is the beginning of a new act. Starting October, the group will return to the tradition of recruiting young talent from colleges to nourish the theatre circuit. Screwvala shares, “Everyone today wonders about upskilling, but what about the soft skills? There is no better way to build them than through the arts.” Raell adds, “We are hoping to take these thespians, and productions to the youth of today. We will also be running workshops and masterclasses for those interested in the arts, not only Shakespeare. Keep an eye out,” she says. We certainly will.
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