Well-known singer Shubha Mudgal and her husband,tabla player Aneesh Pradhan,have come across historical and literary accounts related to different forms of Indian music in the course of their careers. They were so impressed by the powerful narrative that the duo actually started visualising the events they were reading about. Both of them felt that it would be an out-of-the-world experience for the audience if some of the accounts could be adapted for stage. They approached veteran theater director Sunil Shanbag with the idea and what followed was the conception of Stories In A Song. The play,which premiered in Mumbai at Prithvi Theatre on June 4,is a collage of dramatised episodes that blend music,theater and literature. It takes help of theater to tell stories of various musical forms like kajri,thumri,khayal,remixes etc. Shanbag was keen to explore different stories of music making. India has the richest variety of music devotional,folk,classical etc. Stories In A Song explores three ideas different varieties of music,unknown stories of music-making in India and how music has been represented in performing arts and popular culture through seven pieces ranging from 10 to 15 minutes. While some of them are excerpts from literature,others are incidents from history. So while one of them is an excerpt from Urdu writer Qurratulain Hyders story,another one is Mahatma Gandhi taking up the causes of tawaif when they were ridiculed by the moral brigade. Shanbag says,While the basic story of Gandhiji was there,I approached a writer who then adapted it for theater. Similarly,Hindustani Airs is about a memsaab who wants to adapt Hindi musical notes so she calls a nautchwali and what follows is a hilarious encounter between the two. Then there is a piece on copyright that traces the journey of a melody,which was composed two centuries ago,and is later adapted for films by composers and eventually mobile companies use it as a tune. While Mudgal and Pradhan were involved more with the research for the production,and later selected and composed the music,Shanbag was in charge of developing each segment. Two major requirements of the production were to use live music and to find actors who could also sing. It took the director almost five years to find such artistes. Shanbag says,Since music is an important element of the production,I was clear that I wanted to use live music and have 15 actors who could also sing. Earlier,I would use recorded music in my productions but it was only after I used live music in my play Cotton 56,Polyester 84 that I realised how it changes the whole dynamics. There is a certain tactile quality to live music that adds a lot of texture and energy. Similarly,with the advent of film music,today actors are not required to sing. But when you have artistes who can also sing,they bring in a lot more emotions and expressions that enhance the production. Mudgal and Pradhan worked with the actors Shubrojyoti Barat,Gopal Tiwari,Ketki Thatte,Namit Das,Santosh Tiwari,Pia Sukanya,Mansi Multani,Nishi Doshi,Trupti Khamkar,Shailesh Hejmadi,Bhupendra Shahi,Nandakumar Pandey,Gagan Riar,Anushree Shukla and Amit Ojha for a month to familiarise them with the compositions,singing styles and musical accompaniments. Mudgal says,The actors in the production are wonderful singers and it was an absolute delight to meet them,share the music with them,and to observe how soon they were able to adapt to the songs. The discipline and teamwork they displayed was admirable. We began working with them by just listening to each of them sing a piece of their choice. This gave us an idea of the strengths and limitations of their voices and their musical capabilities,and helped us select and compose the repertoire for the production. Later,we worked with individual actor-musicians playing lead roles,working out each piece of music in detail. An interesting aspect of Stories In A Song,which was first staged as part of the Gaaja Baaja festival in Pune earlier this year,is that the musicians will be seen along with the actors on the stage. Shanbag says,Unlike abroad where musicians are hidden in the pit (in front of the stage) or other Indian productions where live musicians hide in the wings,Stories In A Song has live musicians who bring a wonderful celebratory quality to the play. While the musical was a learning experience for Shanbag,the director admits it was also a logistical nightmare. He says,Its quite an effort to have live musicians and 15 actors on stage. But I also got an opportunity to experience different forms of music. I was greatly impressed with Shubhas and Aneeshs generosity of spirit to part with their knowledge. Shanbag is so enthused with the whole production that he plans to stage a classical music opera two to three years later. Now that will be some treat for music and theater aficionados!
