Must-Watch Plays: 5 Plays You Must Not Miss
A selection of must-watch plays, recommended for every theatre fan.
1. Love Letters
An exchange of letters between a couple over a span of fifty years – that’s the play in one line and to know why the seemingly thin plot is so terribly interesting, you must see it. Some actors wear layers of makeup to give the illusion of age and still don’t convince you; some like Rajit Kapoor and Shernaz Patel simply be and make you believe they are aging. The lead actors turn in performances so heartfelt that one of them had tears unabated even after the show was over.
2. Hamlet The Clown Prince
A smart parody of Shakespeare’s Hamlet brought to stage by an ensemble of fine actors, who can make even the language of Gibberish seem meaningful.
3. Bikhre Bimb
With its compelling collusion of the Real and the Reel, this play redefines what is possible on stage. Also watch it for some lovely polished Hindi of the kind we only find in old books nowadays, and a performer who holds the stage in a way only the gifted can.
4. Mirza Ghalib In Delhi
In this inventive comedy by Pierrot’s Troupe about the travails of Mirza Ghalib who finds himself in present-day Delhi, the accents of Delhi and Bihar and Urdu of the nineteenth century infuse into a hilarious concoction. The background music is a treat, with tunes set to Mirza Ghalib’s lyrics – the delicious Dil-e-nadan tujhe hua kya hai, for one. Lovers of language, fans of Ghalib – don’t miss this.
5. Silence! The Court Is In Session
Vijay Tendulkar’s famous script that slowly, deftly turns from bright to grim, an able cast and the interesting device of a play within a play, this play should be on every theatre fan’s to-watch list.
Speaking of to-watch lists, there are several plays on mine – BlackBird, The Blue Mug and A Disappearing Number, to name some.
Which are your favourite plays?
1. Brishti
You will recall what I told you about Hamlet (not the clown prince, the real deal):).May I ask if anything similar took place during the performance of Hamlet the Clown Prince?
Also – is Love Letters based on a book?
August 17th, 2010 7:19 pm
2. Shuchi
May I ask if anything similar took place during the performance of Hamlet the Clown Prince?
Suprisingly – yes! Well nothing as drastic, but there is some…er, impropriety…that will be of interest to you 😛 .
Love Letters is based on an American play, first performed off-Broadway in the 1980s. Its Hindi adaptation Tumhari Amrita is better known in India; that is performed by Shabana Azmi and Farooq Sheikh.
Traditionally, the two actors in the play simply read out letters to each other. In the version I saw, the actors had their lines memorized and also moved the props around. It was all extremely well done. I wish I had written a full review of the play when I saw it – I don’t recall all the details now but I vividly remember that I was impressed.
What’s the latest you have seen and liked? How’s the theatre scene in Singapore?
August 17th, 2010 7:40 pm
3. Brishti
Re Hamlet..interesting:)
Yes I have heard of Tumhari Amrita.What you are describing sounds really good, hope I get a chance to see it some time.
The theatre scene in Singapore is very good,though it usually burns a hole in your wallet unless you are lucky:).The last one I saw & liked was The Tempest.It was brilliant.
August 18th, 2010 8:57 am
4. Shruthi
For people who don’t understand Hindi, Heap of broken images is english adaptation of Bikhre bimb played by Arundhati Raja.
August 20th, 2010 2:35 pm
5. Piyush Agarwal
Other than Hamlet – The clown Prince, one of my favorites is “Butter & Mashed Bananas”. Don’t miss it whenever its staged next, will leave you amazed.
September 6th, 2010 4:40 pm
6. Shuchi
Thanks Piyush. I liked Butter and Mashed Bananas but it wasn’t one of the best ever for me.
Hamlet – The Clown Prince must be the universal favourite! Everyone who’s seen it raves about it.
September 6th, 2010 4:50 pm
7. Sushmitha
Hello! Its a nice forum here. Can anyone pls tell me how Miss Meena was? Heard rave reviews about it..
February 27th, 2012 2:40 pm
8. Shuchi
Welcome here Sushmitha. I thought Miss Meena was loads of fun and very creative. More here: Review: Miss Meena
February 27th, 2012 4:02 pm
9. Vikrant Koul
Park. Directed by Manav Kaul.
Brilliant comedy. Must watch.
September 9th, 2013 8:39 pm
10. abhishek tiwari
Nothing like Lear my first play …n spectacular performace by Vinay … hav been a fan of his spontaniety…but this one was mesmerising…n thnks Suchi fr 5 best play…wd b waiting…in Pune.
February 21st, 2015 11:02 pm
11. Shuchi
@abhishek tiwari: That’s an excellent play to start with 🙂
February 22nd, 2015 8:53 am