Play it Again

The revival of Marathi theatre classics is bringing the crowd back to auditoriums

WHEN noted actor Sunil Barve launched his project 'Herbarium' in 2010 under which five Marathi classics, Suryachi Pille, Lahampan Dega Deva Kulhatkar, Hamidabaichi Kothi, Andhala Daltay and Zhopi Gelela Jaga Jhala were revived, theatre enthusiasts lined up early in the morning for advance bookings.

"These plays hadn't been staged for years and, when we did it, the response was tremendous. This proves that the Marathi theatre audience is nostalgic about classics. In fact, revival of classics is now the latest trend in Marathi theatre," says Barve, who has been a part of Marathi theatre for over 25 years. Following the enthusiastic response by the audience, Barve now intends to stage three of the plays again, Suryachi Pille, Hamidabaichi Kothi, and Zhopi Gelela Jaga Jhala, with two shows each.

According to Marathi theatre actor-producer Neelam Shirke, theatre is like fashion. It has some classics that never go out of style and keep re-emerging along side new trends. Shirke began reviving plays such as Barrister, Moruchi Maushi, Purush and Mahasagar a year ago. Her project will revive 50 such plays over the next five years, with noted actors such as Vikram Gokhale, Mohan Joshi and Neena Kulkarni turning directors.

"A lot of people have told me that the project was too ambitious. When I see the kind of response we are getting, I feel a sense of achievement. The shows often get sold out on the first day of booking; which is a great sign," she says.

Several other theatre producers too are bringing old, popular Marathi theatre back on stage. Some of the plays that are being revived are over half-a-century old. They were written by theatre stalwarts such as Jaywant Dalvi, Vasant Kanetkar, Baban Prabhu and Govind Ballal Deval. Some plays are even older, such as Sangeet Saunshaykallol, which was written by Govind Ballal Deval 90 years ago.

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