On stage: Karnad’s ‘Yayati’ in English

Chennai-based theatre company Nisha will stage Girish Karnad’s ‘Yayati’ today and tomorrow at Ranga Shankara, as a homage to the playwright whose 87th birth anniversary was on May 19. 

The play is directed by V Balakrishnan and was first staged in 2012. It is Karnad’s first play which he wrote during his days in Oxford. 

‘Yayati’ is based on an episode from the ‘Mahabharata’. It follows the story of King Yayati, an ancestor of the Pandavas, who is cursed of premature old age. “‘Yayati’ is our favourite work of Karnad apart from ‘Crossing to Talikota’ and ‘Fire and Rain’,” says director Balakrishnan. Talking about revisiting the play after 13 years, Balakrishna says, “Our understanding of the play has further deepened. It has revealed a lot more. The psychological ramifications about the play are very different now. Even in the way we have approached the play in terms of design and acting, we now see a lot more maturity.”

May 21 and 22, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm at Ranga Shankara, J P Nagar. Tickets online.