A Mumbai production of the Sound of Music promises to be a spectacle
Mumbai has few hills, but it will soon be alive with the sound of music. A massive production, with a cast of over 200 children, brings the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic
The Sound of Music to India this month.
A well-known story, it was an opportunity to actually recreate it in India, for Indians. Directed by Advait Hazarat, the play has been created in collaboration with Loop Mobile, ACE (Raell Padamsee’s Academy for Creative Expression) and the CREATE Foundation (Children’s Research in Education, Arts and Theatre Endowment).
Indian films are usually musicals, but theatre in India rarely incorporates the musical element. The high cost of production makes it nearly impossible to envision and create a musical drama.
Fortunately, this presentation promises to be different, with choreography by the reputed Karla Singh and Sandeep Soparrkar and singers trained by vocals director Marianne D’Cruz Aiman.
Besides the popular songs known to just about everyone, the “thrust stage” at the venue (NCPA’s grand Tata Theatre) will bring audiences even closer to the performers. Movement, therefore, was very important, says Hazarat, so that the actors stand, sing and dance in a way that speaks to the entire theatre.
The production brings together students from ACE, other city schools, and children from eight NGOs, between the ages of five and 20, giving them the opportunity to be part of a professional, high-end, musical spectacle.
In the lead are veteran actor Dalip Tahil as the stiff Captain von Trapp and Delna Mody as the free-spirited novice nun Maria.
With students from the Happy Home and School for the Blind, Central Society for the Education of the Deaf, Society for the Education of the Crippled, Aseema, Salaam Bombay Foundation, SevaSadan, Muktangan, and ADAPT, the cast was a mix of different children from a range of backgrounds.
How did Hazarat integrate all these different performers into one production? “We started back in September 2010, with rehearsals every day. It was like being back at school. There was a clear-cut timetable, dictating when we rehearsed what.” There were three large halls at their rehearsal venue and the cast would split up to work on different elements, meeting to discuss the progress and decide if something needed to be done better or again. Once these had been fine-tuned, all of it came together.
The Sound of Music is such a popular film that most of the children involved had seen it, except a few who had not previously had access to such entertainment. But the NGOs supporting them made sure that they organised a screening of the film for those students.
How hard is it to recreate Austria in Mumbai? With elaborate sets from Fali Unwalla and music by Merlyn D’Souza, it’s going to be quite a spectacle. Have they stuck to the exact storyline? “Yes,” says Advait, “but we have taken a few liberties and enhanced certain elements for visual effect. If I tell you about it I’d be giving away too much. You’ll just have to come and watch it!”
The Sound of Music will be performed at the TATA Theatre, NCPA, during January 26-30 and February 16-20.
Tickets cost Rs 250-1,500, available at www.bookmyshow.com
