From the Kannada play Prameelaarjuniyam | Photo courtesy: special arrangement
Puck, Oberon, Titania, Nick Bottom are names that an ardent fan of William Shakespeare will instantly remember. But can one imagine these characters from his famous work, a Midsummer Night’s Dream Ashuga became Manmatha, Rati, Prameela and Arjun. This is exactly what happened in the Kannada play PramilarjuniumWhich was recently presented at the Multilingual Theatre Festival at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, Chennai.
With a desire to bring the best of theatrical performances from across the country to Chennai audiences, the festival organised by Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan has started making its mark in the city’s cultural calendar.
Natana Rangashala Prameelaarjuniyam, Director: Meghsameer, Based on the 1896 translation of Shakespeare’s comedy by M.L. Srikantesh Gowda, the play uses the music and gestures of Yakshagana, a popular folk dance of Karnataka.
with a touch of comedy
The story is set in Mala Yala, where Princess Prameela, a warrior, falls in love with Arjuna after he conquers her and prepares for their wedding. Meanwhile, Kairav ​​and Jayanta are in love, and so are Padmini and Vasanth. But Kairav’s father wants him to marry Vasanth, whom he has chosen for him. Kairav ​​decides to run away with Jayanta. He tells Padmini about his plans, who follows them into the forest with Vasanth. At this point, Manmath, Rati and Ashuga (Manmath’s associates) enter the story. Manmath tells Ashuga about the juice of the Nilotpala flower, which can make a person fall in love with whomever he sees when he wakes up in the morning. This becomes a comedy as the lovers swap places. How the tangle is unraveled gives some hilarious and amusing twists and turns.
Cloth was hung in the four corners of the stage, with a throne placed in the centre. These props were used beautifully in different scenes. The cloth sometimes became a tree, a pillar or a swing rope. The Yakshagana movements were seamlessly woven into the play, and the effect was further enhanced by the presence of musicians on stage. The actors’ brilliant comic timing kept the momentum going till the last scene.
