<p>For those who have watched pale imitations of Western musicals like ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Mary Poppins’, here is the perfect example of an Indian musical.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Original in thought and process, ‘Stories in a Song’ excels in humour with sterling performances and great songs. And behind this venture is the musical couple Shubha Mudgal and husband Aneesh Pradhan. <br /><br />The couple, who were documenting historical and literary accounts relating to various forms and genres of Indian music, were impressed by them. They felt it would be a great experience to adapt them for stage as a musical.<br /><br /> They collaborated with director Sunil Shanbag. Shubha and Aneesh composed music for the show and the former breathed life into the narrative, which they call ‘Stories in a Song’.<br /><br />In the City, to watch their show at Ranga Shankara, one can see the love they share for each other and the passion they have for music. They say they have been thinking of this concept for a long time now. “I read Marathi and Shubha reads Hindi. We used to read out passages and extracts to each other. The narratives in some of the research work are very exciting. We thought it would be wonderful to dramatise them,” says Aneesh.<br /> <br />But Shubha is quick to remind that this isn’t one of those Western musicals. “You will not find someone suddenly breaking out into a number. There is no spectacle. In fact, these are stories about music themselves but in a fun way,” she says.<br /><br />The biggest challenge, they say, was to find actors who could sing and vice-versa. “We had lot of workshops and auditions, where we had to see if they were suitable for various genres because these works were classics and couldn’t be tampered with,” says Aneesh. <br /><br />Known for songs like Ali More Angana, Abke Saawan and Seekho Na, can one hear Shubha’s magic on stage? The singer laughs, “There is not a trace of me in the entire play. I have ensured that people will get to hear something totally different and we have received a good response. Hopefully, it will continue,” she adds.<br /><br />Ask her why there are few women composers in the industry and Shubha says. “I feel a composer needs to be heard and not seen, whether it’s a male or a female. There are many women composers waiting to bring in something new but the fact that they <br />have not been acknowledged have kept them in the dark,” she adds.<br /><br />So will the duo compose for movies? “Nothing as of now,” says Aneesh while Shubha adds, “I have been asked many times why I don’t sing in Bollywood. I don’t think my voice would suit size-zero heroines.”<br /><br />The couple say that Bangalore is one of their favourite holiday spots. “I love the green trees in the City but unfortunately every time we come here, we see less of them. Nevertheless, the City has an amazing ear for all genres of music,” sums up Shubha. <br />The play ‘Stories in a Song’ will be staged on March 10, 7.30 pm and March 11, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm at the Ranga Shankara.<br /> </p>
<p>For those who have watched pale imitations of Western musicals like ‘My Fair Lady’, ‘West Side Story’ and ‘Mary Poppins’, here is the perfect example of an Indian musical.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Original in thought and process, ‘Stories in a Song’ excels in humour with sterling performances and great songs. And behind this venture is the musical couple Shubha Mudgal and husband Aneesh Pradhan. <br /><br />The couple, who were documenting historical and literary accounts relating to various forms and genres of Indian music, were impressed by them. They felt it would be a great experience to adapt them for stage as a musical.<br /><br /> They collaborated with director Sunil Shanbag. Shubha and Aneesh composed music for the show and the former breathed life into the narrative, which they call ‘Stories in a Song’.<br /><br />In the City, to watch their show at Ranga Shankara, one can see the love they share for each other and the passion they have for music. They say they have been thinking of this concept for a long time now. “I read Marathi and Shubha reads Hindi. We used to read out passages and extracts to each other. The narratives in some of the research work are very exciting. We thought it would be wonderful to dramatise them,” says Aneesh.<br /> <br />But Shubha is quick to remind that this isn’t one of those Western musicals. “You will not find someone suddenly breaking out into a number. There is no spectacle. In fact, these are stories about music themselves but in a fun way,” she says.<br /><br />The biggest challenge, they say, was to find actors who could sing and vice-versa. “We had lot of workshops and auditions, where we had to see if they were suitable for various genres because these works were classics and couldn’t be tampered with,” says Aneesh. <br /><br />Known for songs like Ali More Angana, Abke Saawan and Seekho Na, can one hear Shubha’s magic on stage? The singer laughs, “There is not a trace of me in the entire play. I have ensured that people will get to hear something totally different and we have received a good response. Hopefully, it will continue,” she adds.<br /><br />Ask her why there are few women composers in the industry and Shubha says. “I feel a composer needs to be heard and not seen, whether it’s a male or a female. There are many women composers waiting to bring in something new but the fact that they <br />have not been acknowledged have kept them in the dark,” she adds.<br /><br />So will the duo compose for movies? “Nothing as of now,” says Aneesh while Shubha adds, “I have been asked many times why I don’t sing in Bollywood. I don’t think my voice would suit size-zero heroines.”<br /><br />The couple say that Bangalore is one of their favourite holiday spots. “I love the green trees in the City but unfortunately every time we come here, we see less of them. Nevertheless, the City has an amazing ear for all genres of music,” sums up Shubha. <br />The play ‘Stories in a Song’ will be staged on March 10, 7.30 pm and March 11, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm at the Ranga Shankara.<br /> </p>
