Neil Simon comedy on Sat

American playwright Neil Simon’s ‘The Good Doctor’ is set to be staged in Koramangala on Saturday.

The English play is a comedy with music and exposes the frailties of human beings. It opened on Broadway in 1973. Srilalitha Pamidipati has adapted the original and also directed it.

Srilalitha says, “Neil Simon wrote the play as a tribute to the works of Russian writer Anton Chekov, who was originally a doctor. It centres around a writer, who speaks to the audience and shares his writings with them in the process.”

While the original script remains intact, Srilalitha has added Indian elements. “We’ve incorporated Indian cities and added touches of the Indian lifeastyle. You’ll also see this across the set design and the music,” she says.

Explaining why she chose a comedy for her directorial debut, Srilalitha says, “The best way you can show the frailties and pathos is through comedy. I’m not talking about slapstick comedy where you make fun of somebody but the kind of comedy that makes you think about your own life. That is the kind of comedy I wanted to recreate and the response at the premiere show was heart-warming.”

The play debuted at an art space and studio in J P Nagar on November 18 and plans are underway to stage it at multiple venues around the city. 

On November 25, 3 pm and 7 pm, at Medai - The Stage, Koramangala. Tickets online.