Getting ready for a new round of rehearsals, Bruce Guthrie talks about his latest play – Death and the Maiden. He says, “It’s a clever play with a lot of subtle references, and that’s what attracted me to it. It’s extremely funny and there’s a lot of humor in it. But it’s definitely not a comedy, and it raises a lot of relevant issues.”

Premiere in 1990, Death and the Maiden was written by Argentinian-Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman, based on events that took place in Chile during and after the military regime of Augusto Pinochet. It depicts the relationship between a political prisoner – Paulina Salas, her husband Gerardo, and doctor Roberto Miranda – whom she believes has tortured her in the past, although he never shows his face. Although Pinochet is not mentioned by name, Guthrie says the play is set at a time when a new democratic government took power.

The play stars Ira Dubey as Paulina, Vivek Gomber as her husband and Neil Bhoopalam as a doctor. It will be staged from May 7 to 10 at the Experimental Theater of the National Center for the Performing Arts (NCPA).

Head of Theater and Film at NCPA, Guthrie has previously directed four plays during his tenure in India – Nick Payne’s constellation Simon Stephens’ monologue, with two different sets of main actors sea ​​wallTom Stoppard’s every good boy deserves a favor and Connor McPherson St. Nicholas.

Guthrie believes in maintaining the original script to the maximum extent possible. “I believe theater is led by the writer. As a director, I am just the conveyor, and help the actors in the expression of the script. I also don’t believe in making too many changes after the first act. I keep watching the people in the hall and understand their reaction. But I stick to what the writer says, and don’t give in to the temptation to make changes just to please the audience,” he shares.

The director says he has appreciated Death and the Maiden over the years and adds: “Ira approached me about this more than a year ago, and I was excited to have the opportunity to work with her on this text. I’ve known Ira for a long time. She’s an actress with an incredible capacity for intense, emotional roles, especially in plays that have strong female protagonists. Vivek Gomber is an actor I’ve been admiring for some time after his excellent performance in Harold Pinter. Betrayal. Neil and I collaborated every good boy deserves a favorAnd he is a brilliant actor.

In addition to being known as one of the landmark political dramas of the late 20th century, Death and the Maiden It was also adapted into a film by filmmaker Roman Polanski in 1994 starring Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley and Stuart Wilson. According to Guthrie, while the film has a clear ending, the play ends ambiguously and is open to various interpretations. “But that’s the beauty of theatre,” he says.

Guthrie says the play takes place during a time when many people with communist leanings were arrested. He explains, “It all had to do with Cuban leader Fidel Castro and that era, and Central and Latin America. People were taken to facilities and tortured in the name of political prisoners. Dorfman was in exile for many years, and saw the situation up close. Paulina is thus shown as one of those victims.”

The director says that Dorfman’s writing is somewhat similar to that of pre-World War II German playwright Bertolt Brecht. “Brecht’s plays take a dig not only at the war, but also at the Nazi regime. Dorfman.”Uses a similar theme, but in a different region and period, against another dictatorship,” he says.

Ira Dubey and Neil Bhoopalam along with Vivek Gomber, who plays the doctor. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Three issues have been raised Death and the Maiden. Guthrie explains. “The first is whether a country can move forward after such a brutal regime; the second is the equation between a wife and her husband. Can they move on from earlier events and are those events and timelines independent of each other? The third is the question of justice versus vengeance and can they be the same thing.”

The title of the play is inspired by Austrian composer Franz Schubert’s string quartet ‘Death and the Maiden’. This is the excerpt that Paulina heard while being tortured, and it is something that haunts her every time. While musicians from the Symphony Orchestra of India will play these parts, the other music is composed by Andrew T. Mackey, known for dramatic productions. henry v And life of pi.

The Guthrie will decide on future staging plans after the first run is over. He believes in scoring as many runs as possible in the first few months, and thus has no intention of reviving his old plays constellation And every good boy deserves a favor. Right now his focus is on this Death and the MaidenApart from other projects produced by NCPA.

published – April 30, 2026 06:54 PM IST