How Broadway’s longest-running one-act play was given an Indian flavor

When Iceland-based company Theater Mogul decided to stage its famous production Caveman’s Rescue In India, CEO and executive producer Oscar Erickson insisted that it be directed by a woman. A comedy about the relationship of men and women, it holds the record for being the longest-running single play on Broadway. Since it required a male actor to perform a one-man show, a female director would provide the right balance and touch.

Thus he brought with him Heeba Shah, daughter of the experienced Naseeruddin Shah. Apart from acting in plays and films, Heeba has directed five plays including her own production house Alchemy What happened? And unique signAfter thinking for some time, she agreed to the theater mogul’s proposal. Heeba was of the opinion that the actor chosen should not be from the current generation, and after auditioning 30 actors, the role was given to New Delhi-born Vishesh Arora.

Written by American actor and comedian Rob Baker, Caveman’s Rescue Before coming to India, it has been staged in 58 countries. The first public show was held on 24 November at the Veda Kunba Theatre, Mumbai.^{It will also be held on weekends in December and in January, with other locations planned.}

Talking about her experience, Heeba says that she is not a trained director, although theater is in her blood. “Naturally, my father has been the biggest influence on me. But I’m still learning as I go. I learned from my father about text, how to respect each word because the author has considered each word. Some actors keep improvising when they don’t remember lines, but I don’t do that. I believe in sticking to the text – clarity of speech, clarity of pace and pauses. I learned these skills from my father and am using them caveman Very.”

Heeba Shah with Vishesh Arora during rehearsals. , Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Caveman’s Rescue It has been described as a mix of comedy, lectures and therapy sessions. It takes a light-hearted look at the age-old battle of the sexes through the eyes of a modern caveman, giving a hilarious take on the relationship between men and women. After storming out of a house party, the actor has a vision and is visited by a caveman. He tells stories from his own marriage and compares the way we interact with our partners to the way it was in prehistoric times.

Jiten Bhagat, the show’s associate producer in India, says the drama has been adapted to suit Indian sensibilities. “The basic ingredients are the same, and it works,” he says. Heeba adds, “We have adapted the references to make them Indian. For example, instead of softball we say cricket, and instead of Hollywood movies, we say Hindi movies and actors.

When Heeba read the script for the first time, she thought it was very funny. “The more I read it, the more fun I found it. So we kept working on it. The script is great and that’s an advantage. Vishesh is a great actor; He has lots of energy. I have tried my best to irritate him as much as possible.

Vishesh has loved being on stage since the age of five. “I don’t understand good acting or bad acting, but I understand the passion of being on stage,” he says.

Vishesh did a lot of plays in school in New Delhi and also took training from theater personality Dilip Shankar. Eventually, he moved to Mumbai, where he began to understand the nuances. “I was waiting for something for a long time and it happened. I’ve done a few solo plays but never for this long. When you are alone, the audience’s attention is completely on you and even the slightest mistake is caught. So you have to be perfect,” he says.

with Naseeruddin Shah caveman rescue team | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

According to Vishesh, the entire rehearsal process was a collaborative effort. “We will find something new every time. One thing that scared me was that Heeba used to tell me that you have forgotten the comma, you have forgotten to say ‘the’. So I had to repeat it a hundred times until I got it right. Heeba knows exactly what needs to be done. I just have to do this.”

CEO Oscar flew in from Reykjavik just before the first performance. He recalls how the theater mogul was formed Caveman’s Rescue After seeing a performance in Iceland in 2000 we decided to take it to other countries. We wanted to go to Scandinavia first because those countries were closer, but someone else had the rights there and we almost gave up. So we applied to Germany, Austria and Holland. We opened the show in August 2000 in a bus shelter in Berlin because we couldn’t find a theater. But the response was good and we kept growing. We moved to other countries, with or without a partner.

During Oscar’s visit to Delhi a few years ago, Jiten’s name was recommended and it became a thing. It was decided that they would stick to English in the first round and Mumbai was the ideal place to start the show. Oscar is confident that he has found the right team and the ideal caveman in India.