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Bard Bard dekho

We are never tired of Shakespeare, and Vickram Kapadia just proves that with his new play

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Ira Dubey with (left) Rajeev Siddhartha and (above) Neil Bhoopalam in the play
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There have been millions of kings, thousands of billionaires and hundreds of conquerors. But there's only one thing that makes people immortal -- their art. Even after hundreds and thousands of years of death, the writers and artistes live through their creations. One of them is William Shakepeare who continues to inspire people from all walks of art life – be it writing, performance or canvas. Innumerable plays and stories have been inspired from his comprehensive work of writing and many more are in the making.

Today's Merchant of Venice
This time Shakespeare's classic saga of love, avarice and hatred will find a new and contemporary setting in Masque's rendition of the play that will also see the debut of Aditya Birla Group's Aadyam initiative. Vickram Kapadia's Masque will do a modern retelling of one of Shakespeare's most riveting tales of romance and revenge, generosity and greed: The Merchant of Venice. Says Vickram, "In The Merchant of Venice, we take the audience into the world of the great gamblers, rich merchants, businessmen, socialites and the prodigal youth. Imagine the world of Paris Hilton, Las Vegas, Wall Street and Manhattan all rolled into one and where everything is a game of chance. Imagine the 21st century."

Relevant today?
The Merchant of Venice is a universal tale showcasing human beings' propensity for love and hatred, generosity and greed, forgiveness or the lack of it. A deep satire on society then and now, it was traditionally classified as a comedy with confused love triangles at its core, but is also an exciting thriller: a dark and twisted tragedy with a dramatic climax. "For us of the creative tribe, Shakespeare is always a risk and a challenge. How does one make it work today? While it would be cruel to dilute the poetry of the dialogue and make it more accessible, considering that Shakespeare's genius lies in the fact that he had tremendous insight into human behaviour and emotions and could manifest it in dialogue that was natural and yet subliminal in its poetry, one can always play with the imagery. It is the modern imagery that would make it more identifiable and a treat to watch," Vickram adds.

About Aadyam
An initiative by the Aditya Birla Group – Aadyam -- is bringing five new plays from five reputed theatre groups. Crafting a holistic experience for each play that extends beyond the stage, Aadyam will reword our understanding of the process of watching a play, and through this, take theatre to newer audiences. While Rage Theatre will come with The Siddhus of Upper Juhu, QTP will show The ?God of Carnage. Masque Theatre's The Merchant of Venice, AKVarious' The Hound of the Baskervilles and Arpana Theatre's Mere Piya Gaye Rangoon will be unveiled in Mumbai and Delhi across eight months.

When and Where: February 27 at NCPA from 7.30 pm onwards

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