JOIN USDario Fo’s comedy on battle of sexes
The Open Couple’, a play directed by Ashish Sen, will be performed on June 7 at Chowdiah Memorial Hall at 6.30 pm. The lead actors are Rubi Chakravarti and Rakesh
Batra. It is a rib-tickling comedy about the battle of the sexes. The crux of the play is about a couple getting on in their years who find their relationship on the brink of no return. The husband suggests the relevance of an open marriage and his wife agrees.
In an interview with Shivani Kulkarni, Ashish Sen talks about the making of the play.
What got you interested in theatre?
Theatre has been a part of my life since childhood. My parents met each other through theatre. They were a part of Utpal Dutt’s Little Theatre group in Kolkata during the 1940s and 1950s. My theatre mentors were Shiraz and Deryck Jefferies and Alyque Padamsee, the founders of Theatre Group in Mumbai.
Why did you choose this play?
I love Dario Fo’s writing and craft, especially his use of farce and humour to punctuate social and political issues. While ‘The Open Couple’ uses the same device, it is one of the very few plays co-written by both Fo and his partner, Franca Rame (who has an equally sharp and probing pen). If anything, the text is even more exciting, the humour is more rambunctious and lacerating.
What are some of the topics discussed in the play?
Gender relations and womens’ issues are hugely relevant in India today. In this context, ‘The Open Couple’is very much a play of our times.
The text is not only rib-ticklingly funny, but it also raises some serious issues. As a wife and husband hilariously take each other to task about the importance of being an ‘open couple’, issues related to gender and power relations take centre stage.
What makes this play different?
We have a very minimalist design and have also contemporised this production, bringing it closer home.
How easy is it to impress the audience, since comedy is very subjective?
A lot depends on the timing and getting it right. This, in turn, demands the ability of the actors to get into the skin of the characters they are playing and pay attention to the fact that they have to listen to the other rather than just speaking on cue. The latter is easier said than done. However, both Rubi Chakravarti and Rakesh Batra have demonstrated it in abundant measure in this production.
How is directing and acting different for you?
A play has at least three parents. Each has a different role and responsibility. The playwright who gives birth to the play, the director who breathes life into the play by moving it onto the stage and transforming it into production and the actors who breathe life into the characters. I think this sums up the difference very clearly.
The play is being staged to celebrate the sesquicentennial 150th anniversary C Krishniah Chetty Foundation.
Donor passes available from Rs 250 to Rs 1,250. Parental guidance recommended admission to patrons 18 years and above.