Behind the Curtains

Since the 1970s,Stage Lights has been one of the few groups in Delhi firmly rooted in English-language theatre. Stripped of messages and hidden wisdom,their plays were “just about entertainment with or without the popcorn,” says director Madhu Sagar. For the past two years,however,the group was missing from the theatre circuit as Sagar got busy with short films. The new production,called That’s The Exit,is a play within a play that Sagar has scripted herself. The storyline dramatizes what happens backstage before the curtains go up — how phone calls from home come just as actors have lost themselves in their make-believe world,how relentless practice can transform a diffident boy next door into an arrogant tycoon,how even tea breaks can build or break confidence. “But,the stress is on telling a good story. That’s the Exit is about Manoj,a failed insurance salesman who dreams of being a superstar. He gets his break when a famous theatre director Radhika casts him,” says Sagar. As the relationship between Manoj and Radhika develops,the lines between actor and character begin to blur.

Played out by a cast of 20-somethings, That’s The Exit is refreshing in its presentation. Vishal Verma as Manoj switches effortlessly from a bumbling salesman to a womanizing tycoon. Packed with live songs and dances,the play packs in the ingredients of a entertainer. “The songs punctuate the action and take the story forward,” says Sagar,who also plays Radhika in the play.

(That’s The Exit will be staged at Alliance Francaise on August 9 and at Epicentre,Gurgaon on August 16.

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