Category: Theatre Plays

A review on Pakistani Comic theatre play, ‘Bijli, Pyar Aur Aba Jan’ (2016). Its English adaptation is done by Kulsoom Aftab.

 

+ Crew

• Written & Directed by Kulsoom Aftab

 

 

+ Note

Originally Bijli, Pyar Aur Aba Jan is a Peter Shaffer’s play ‘Black Comedy’ whereas in Urdu it was adapted by Shoaib Hashmi. The play former title is a pun. Due to a short circuit, the stage is illuminated to reveal the characters in a “blackout”.

This review may contain SPOILERS!

 

Full Cast:

1. Muneeb Baig as Abbas
2. Naz as Ambereen
3. Mujtuba Rizvi as Khurdam
4. Aamir Naqvi as Abul Hasan the Colonel
5. Chand Bawani as Shakila
6. Kulsoom Aftab as Nelo
7. Zaman Abbasi as Fattu
8. Sohail as Seith Sahab

 
+ Plot

Abbas is a young sculptor and his beautiful rich fiancée Ambereen have borrowed some expensive, antique furniture from his neighbor Khurdam’s flat without his permission in order to impress a millionaire art collector coming to view Abbas’s work and Ambereen’s father Colonel Abul Hasan. When the power fails, Khurdam returns early while Abbas’s ex-mistress Nelo shows up unexpectedly where things slide into disaster for him.

 
+ High Points

i – Naz is truly a remarkable actress. Any praises spoken on her acting skills would be less. She usually takes those roles which are difficult to perform and most often in supporting roles. In this play, however her character is of Ambereen, Abbas’s debutante fiancée and in a lead role.

ii – Khurdam played by Mujtuba Rizvi is very amusing and nicely performed. His role is actually well written to make him an interesting character to watch.

iii – Chand Bawani played a good supporting character with interesting punch lines. I liked her performance especially her staring in the darkness. Other Honorable Mentions: Aamir Naqvi.

iv – The set design was simple yet constructed in a different manner with upper room.

v – I find it a very interesting concept of this English play, ‘Black Comedy’. Something new to watch and enjoy.

 

+ Low Points

i – Even though Muneeb Baig’s performance as Abbas was above average, one could say it to be as ‘Good’. But he appeared desperate to make audience laugh by acting comedy. By trying to make audience laugh since one has a comic role, the efforts that you have pour in goes against you. Let the situation make the people laugh on their own.

ii – On several occasions when matches, lighters or torches are lit, the lights grow dimmer of the stage lights. This needed to be explained properly, to why during complete darkness the lights are brighter for the audience?

iii – There were times when the performers walked on stage with the illusion as that the stage is really fallen with pitch black darkness, that one cannot judge or see where exactly they are going or what obstacles would they be facing during their struggle. Yet in this same play, the performers walked very quickly and knew exactly where they need to be standing? Such as, Muneeb walks slowly with a drag by exiting the room but when returning back, he be walking very quickly and with ease… to where exactly he should be standing without stumble upon any object or a person.

iv – Similarly, Kulsoom first time makes an entry on stage as Nelo. She is an ex-lover of Abbas and most probably lived with him at same apartment so therefore she is aware how the room is decorated with furniture etc. And now she has returned after a long time where in the room there are already several other characters as well. So, it’s a wonder that how can one enter quietly and with ease the room although there is absence of light. Miraculously, Nelo comes and stands in between Abbas & Khurdam where her ex-boyfriend recognizes her by only touching her hair!

v – Nelo’s character was a lack of taste and was under developed.

vi – When Khurdam hears the news that of engagement, his upset is understandable and very amusing but the way his friend kept touching and hugging him to calm down, gave a double meaning altogether. Whether it was intentional or no? The play doesn’t clarify it.

vii – As for direction, it’s quite strange to see that when Nelo is throwing wine while standing upstairs, Abul Hasan is already ducking. The question is that if the room is in complete darkness, then how does he know from where the wine is thrown at and how much he needs to duck to save himself?

viii – For a person with an army background, Aamir Naqvi as Abdul Hasan the Colonel surely needs a similar makeover. Also, for Nelo’s open hair, the makeup & hair styling department should had done a better job in representing these stars on-stage.

ix – For a family-oriented play, many things were not adapted from the original play; which is quite disappointing in the long run.

 

+ Overall
Although, Bijli, Pyar Aur Aba Jan falls short of expectations… yet this play did however make many people entertain with some interesting performances.

 

Rate: 2.0 out of 5 stars

A review on Pakistani Rom-Drama theatre play, ‘Bandhan’ (2018). It’s Costume Designed by Maharukh Ali while it’s Co-Production Designed by Ayesha Iqbal.

 

 

+ Crew

• Production Designed & Directed by Hassan Raza
• Music by Nigel Bobby
• Lights & Back Stage by Masood ul Rehman
• Makeup & Hairstyling by Sikandar Rao
• Produced by NRT

 

+ Note
Bandhan is loosely based on Lorca’s Blood Wedding. It is not an adaptation but inspired by the play Blood Wedding (1932), written by Federico Garcia Lorca. It is a play about love betrayal and revenge. The play reflects the honor killings that we read today. Only Hasan and Aisha have returned to take up new characters to perform in Bandhan. Their previous hit play was Jaloos (2017)

A professional musician team was hired to do the job. Maharukh Ali is also a talented actress but it’s a wonder why she has restricted herself to perform in some plays only.

+ Full Cast:

1. Hajra Yamin as Hajra / Bride
2. Asad Gojar as Asad / Ex-Lover
3. Hasan Khan as Hasan / Groom
4. Sehrish Qb as Asad’s Wife
5. Shabana Hasan as Hasan’s Mother
6. Zain Nazar as Hajra’s Father
7. Ayesha Iqbal as Ayesha, Cousin of Hajra
8. Roohi Ahmed as Roohi, Cousin of Hajra
9. Asma Noor as Asma, Cousin of Hajra
10. Safia as Safiya, Cousin of Hajra
11. Samhaan Qazi as Molvi
12. Faisal Ballu as Ballu
13. Farhan Rizvi as Baali
14. Naila Nawab as Asad’s Mother-in-Law

 

 

+ Plot

A wedding is set to place soon at a house full of close relatives and guests. Hajra is nervous yet looking forward to her marriage with Hasan who loves her very much. Everyone’s mood is full of joy and happiness but that doesn’t lasts long when Asad re-enters the life of Hajra, his former love.

 

+ High Points
i – Admirable effort on costume designing, it suited well with the characters.

ii – Hajra Yamin has once again gave a spectacular performance on-stage. She is a very good actress and often plays tragic romantic characters. Other Honorable Mentions: Hasan Khan, Shabana Hassan, and Samhan Qazi.

iii – Effective handling of the lighting gave the audience the understanding, of the different moods and beats to improvise the scenes.

iv – The musicians and songs conducted during the played an amazing role in bringing the play closer to the heart.

v – Great work on makeup & hair styling; the performers looked glamorous on-stage.

vi – The set design was carefully designed and constructed, in order for the performers and the musicians be viewed.

vii – The humor level was amusing but on some occasions.

viii – The characters of Ballu and Molvi were well written.

ix – Hasan’s directorial signature move can be seen in this play as well in compare to his previous play, Jaloos (2017). The set is decorated with bright lights, having many actors on stage dealing with a real life tragic issue.

 

+ Low Points
i – When the play started, the first thing came into my mind was watching a “Star Plus Saas-Bahu TV drama”.

ii – The play was targeted mainly for female oriented, whether it was intentionally or unintentionally been done but that’s how it looked. To decide whether this is good or not, we let that for the audience though the marketing campaign of the play didn’t give a clear picture of it before hand.

iii – At many places, the play became too much over dramatic, filled with loud shouts and cries. Yes, yes, I do understand that it is loosely based on a foreign tragic play and it was supposed to be sad but not this much.

iv – There were several times when the dialogue response were not properly completed before the other person starts to speak of their own.

v – Instead of looking at the play’s end to be emotional but I would rather consider as really disappointing. It’s not because of WHAT happens but HOW it is represented.

vi – Shabana’s sarcasm smile in the end looked as though we are watching a black comedy play.

vii – It’s high time now that Roohi and Asma should now be appearing in much bigger roles, even if they are supporting.

 

 

+ Overall
Bandhan has able to save its face value mainly because of technical and secondary reasons otherwise the main sequences were over dramatic and focusing it too much female oriented has ruined its chance to stand among the decent hit plays.

 
Rate: 2.75 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Comic Thriller theatre play, ‘Spy Games’ (2017), The Production House is Black Box Productions.

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Ubaid Iqbal
• Written (Adapted) by Babar Jamal

 

+ Note
Originally it is written by Bettine Manktelow (author of Curtain Up on Murder and Murder Weekend).

 

 

+ Full Cast:

1. Nazar – ul – Hassan as Asim
2. Kashif Hussain as Humayun
3. Sehrish Qadeer as Tania
4. Syed Maha Ali as Mehreen
5. Saman Khan as Mahrukh
6. Zain Nazar as CEO
7. Aisha Iqbal as Rosy

 

 

+ Plot
Prospective contestants for a TV reality show gather in a Country House aiming to win a large cash prize, but only if they survive the rigors of the ultimate Spy games.

 

 

+ High Points
i – Nazar – ul – Hassan’s performance as Asim was hilarious. He is an excellent veteran actor whose performance most often is noticeable.
ii – Aisha Iqbal played the supporting role as Rosy was superb. She played out her role to its perfection. Other Honorable Mentions: Sehrish Qadeer and Zain Nazar.
iii – The playwright was adapted marvelously by Babar Jamal.
iv – The production design was well established.
v – The message of the play conveyed to audience and achieved its goal.
vi – The lighting was handled very efficiently.

 

 

+ Low Points
i – The play fell short of its fun moments and jokes.
ii – Although there were few big names in the star power nevertheless the performances were good, if not great.
iii – I did not liked its ending, although it suited the message wanted to deliver. Either an extended or an alternative ending would be more suitable.

 

 

+ Overall
Spy Games has not met its ‘Star Cast’ expectations, but it is still entertaining and fun.

 

 

Rate: 3.0 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Comic theatre play, ‘Tarzan’ (2016). The project head is Daniah Naz while production assistant is Ahmad Baig. Its asst. directed by Urooj Alfred.

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Rauf Afridi
• Written by Unaiza Ali
• Set Designer is Javed Yusuf
• Backstage Manager is Taha Nadeem
• Lights & Costumes Designer is Uzma Sabeen

 

 

+ Note
Tarzan is a lost human infant who lived and grew up to be a strong, brave man with a pack of gorillas in the heart of the jungle. Originally created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tarzan first appeared in the novel Tarzan of the Apes (magazine publication 1912, book publication 1914), and afterwards in twenty-five sequels, several official books by other authors, and countless works in other media, both authorized and unauthorized.

 

 

+ Full Cast:

1. Haris Khan as Tarzan
2. Ahmer Hussain as Modi / Lion
3. Rauf Afridi as Manku
4. Najma Kifayat as Gudgudi Jadugarni / Lioness / News Caster #1
5. Hammad Khan as Jin
6. Faryal Memon as Jane / Ms. Duck
7. Saddam Hussain as Jungli / News Caster #2
8. Unaiza Ali as Story Teller

 

 

+ Plot
Tarzan’s desperate help is needed in able to stop new threats to the kingdom of jungle that is Jin & Gudgudi Jadugarni who are responsible in kidnapping and eating the animals. Once Tarzan starts to investigate with his friend Manku, they come to realize who the real mastermind behind this mischief scheme.

 

 

+ High Points
i – Amazing performance by Hammad Khan as Jin. This performer demonstrates you how ‘Easy’ it is to perform on-stage (although it is not). In his previous play ‘Qissa Sotay Jaagtay Ka’, there also he performed brilliantly and here too, he clearly showed everyone that he is no less of a Great Performer. His consistent terrific performances had let the audience know well that (if not now but perhaps) very soon he would be given the lead character roles where the audience would be desperately waiting to see him perform.

ii – Rauf Afridi as Manku played the main supporting role superbly. His acting skills show you as to why the level of his performances is so good! After this performance, I feel the urge to see him more on-stage plays. Other Honorable Mentions: Ahmer Hussain and Najma Kifayat.

iii – The play started out well, while placing different animals within the audience or far from the stage and make small interactions with the children. This was continued throughout the play where the performers challenged or asked to the audience for their next move or to look for someone. This was a good decision by writer and director alike. Good Job!

iv – The flexibility, agility of the lead actor Haris Khan with his fitness and good performance clearly showed as to why he was chosen to play the role of ‘Tarzan’.

v – The art direction of the stage is definitely a high point to be mentioned here.

vi – The costumes of the characters were well made.

vii – By naming the villain as ‘Modi’, was a good humor for adults. And as for the children, the names as ‘Jin’ and ‘Gudgudi Jadugarni’ were perfect.

 

+ Low Points
i – Since this play surrounds the character Tarzan, then many of animals during the performance could had appeared or played a small role in it. I was actually expecting to see some if not many. Only couple of animals was shown during the play such as duck and lion. The team behind this play would probably defend themselves by saying ‘Well, the plot was based on Missing Animals’. Yes but this is the jungle where Many and Different types of animals live. And for children happiness at least, show some animals on stage (during the performance) to remind us that this is a jungle and not Karachi Zoo that we are looking at.

ii – If this play was a proper musical one, with several of songs & dances presented in it. I am pretty confident that this play would have met a much higher level of success.

iii – The character of ‘Modi’ was not fascinating enough as it was for the characters of ‘Jin’ and ‘Gudgudi Jadugarni’. These two characters had some special ability linked with them. Example: Jin had ability to become invisible on his will, Gudgudi Jadugarni had ability of using dark magic while Modi had ability to be strong enough to wrestle with Tarzan and had a very sharp, cunning mind. The character of Modi could have improved if he was given some special ability / power like other two villains.

iv – The characters of ‘Jungli’ and ‘Jane’ were mediocre written. The performers did not have much to perform.

v – My advise to the writer is to avoid using racial remarks / humor. Someone from the audience or media would surely be offended by it.

vi – Honestly I didn’t find the story of this play to be motivating to watch. I can understand that it was kept simple for children but even then the story didn’t pull the audience towards it. It was actual the basic theme behind this play that is ‘Tarzan living in the jungle and helping animals’.

vii – Since this play’s story differ almost entirely from the origin then a new title should be given instead of just ‘Tarzan’. Such as ‘Tarzan: Return of Modi’ or ‘Tarzan: Save the Missing Animals’ etc.

viii – The brochure and the poster of this play ‘Tarzan’ shows multiple animals on it such as crocodile, monkey, snake, owl etc. Kindly tell me, how many of these animals appeared during the play? How many of them? Perhaps two or three… Why other animals were not shown or performed in the play? Point to be noted here that this is a children’s play. Your target audience is children and then the adults / parents come. So, when you are marketing / advertising your play in print or digital media, show the same characters in the play as well.

The reason is that the children would be expecting them to be part of the play. Yes, it is a BIG Deal for the children. My suggestion is that show those characters in your product advertisement only which appear and perform in the play too. Example: Jin, Manku, Ms. Duck etc.

 

+ Overall
A sentimental tale which lacked many animal appearances and good humor. Still, Tarzan has talented cast to charm.

 
Rate: 3.25 out of 5 stars

A review on Pakistani Comedy theatre play, ‘Aasman Se Gira’ (2016) aka [Fallen from the Sky]. Its Asst. Director is Saddam Hussain.

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Uzma Sabeen
• Written (Adapted) by Babar Jamal

 

 

+ Note

Aasman Se Gira is an adaptation of Ken Ludwig’s English farce by the name of “Lend Me A Tenor”. During this play there is a scene where the get up & makeover of the two lead actors are almost identical. This hilarious moment reminded me of Hollywood’s classic comedy film of the golden era by the name of ‘Duck Soup’ (1933) of Marx Bros.

 

+ Cast

1. Saad Zameer Fareedi as Chauhan (aka Henry Saunders)
2. Ahmer Hussain as Shaani (aka Max)
3. Erum Ero as Maira (aka Maggie Saunders)
4. Farhan Alam as Alam Rushdi (aka Tito Merelli)
5. Naz as Khanam (aka Julia)
6. Najma Kifayat as Ronak (aka Diana)
7. Shumaila Taj as Mehrunnisa (aka Maria)
8. Muhammad Owais Mubashir as ‘Waiter’ (aka The Bellhop)

 

 

 

+ Plot

An event manager has to take a decision inviting a popular star to present himself as the traditional hero of the fame folk love songs “Heer Ranjha” for his grand show. As the show’s booking is already a ‘Sold Out’, the real trouble has just begun.

 

 

+ High Points

i – The real main ‘Stars’ of this play due to their memorable and untimely comic performances are Farhan Alam & Ahmer Hussain.

ii – Farhan’s character is totally new for me to watch as the characters this actor has usually played are mostly loud, dramatic and serious roles. However, this time his highly comical performance as the iconic character ‘Alam Rushdi’, he might be well remembered by this name rather than ‘Farhan Alam’.

iii – Good to see new faces to watch their performances such as Naz & Najma Kifayat.

iv – Phew! Need some cold breeze here… the seductive performance by the actress Najma Kifayat as ‘Ronak’ was “Hot as Hell”! Her performance reminded me of how Anne Bancroft tries to seduce Dustin Hoffman in Hollywood classic film ‘The Graduate’ (1967).

 

 

 

 

+ Low Points

i – Having so many good actors & actresses in one play, only the interesting, well written characters with their great performances would come out at the top while the rest of stars would be left behind.

ii – Some of the actors who were given smaller roles, they would be overshadowed and easily forgotten in front of Farhan Alam & Ahmer Hussain roles. Before picking up a good actor/actress for a small role, first write that role as ‘Interesting with humorous Punch Lines’, otherwise its a ‘Waste’ for the great performer to take that role. For instance, Akshay Kumar appeared as supportive role in the Bollywood film ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’ (1997). Some of the people don’t even remember him being part of this film. The reason is the same as above.

iii – This time the witty dialogues were less interesting than the previous play ‘Mere Samne Wali Kherki Meh’ which was written by Babar Jamal. Rather here in this play, the performances were more comical than the dialogues.

iv – It was nice to watch Erum Bashir perform on stage but her character did not do justice with the talented actress that she is.

v – All actors/actresses should follow the rule that your dramatic performances in comical situation would make the audience laugh instead of focusing on the hilarious punch lines that are given to you. Sometimes it works and sometimes it does not. It clearly shows on the performer’s face and action whether he/she focused on the emphasis of the punchline or on the performance according to the situation that he/she is present in.

 

 

+ Overall

The combined efforts of Uzma Sabeen & Babar Jamal, bring another wonderful comic play, Aasman Se Gira for the audience to enjoy.

 

 

Rate: 3.25 out of 5 stars

 

A review on double feature Pakistani Drama & Comedy theatre plays ‘Exclusive’ as one, ‘Yahudi Ki Larki’ and ‘Sher Khan Ka Makan’ (2017).

 

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Khalid Ahmed
• Written by Agha Hashr Kashmiri
• Set Design by Jamil Afridi
• Costume Management by Syeda Maha Ali & Pervaiz Iqbal
• Makeup & Hair Styling by Majid Hussain

 

 

+ Music / Chorus Team

1. Julien Qaiser played Harmonium
2. Babar Ali played Tablaa
3. Mahjabeen
4. Hammad Khan
5. Hani Taha
6. Asiya Alam
7. Faryal Noushad
8. Raheel Ahmed
9. Farhan Malik
10. Kaif Ghaznavi

 

 
+ Note
Choreography by Mohsin Babar while the Assistant Directed by Fraz Chottani

 

 
+ Full Cast (Yahudi Ki Larki)

1. Akbar Islam as Brutus
2. Nazar-ul-Hassan as Azira Yahudi
3. Marya Saad as Raheel
4. Fawad Khan as Markas
5. Kaif Ghaznavi as Desiya
6. Aamir Naqvi as Badshah
7. Samhan Ghazi as Sipahi #1
8. Mazhar Suleman as Sipahi #2
9. Ashfaq Ahmed as Darbari
10. Faryal Noushad as Junaa

 

 

+ Plot
A Roman prince gets arrested because the girl he loves and involved with is a Jew. Due to the fact that his lover does not share the same religion likewise, this is why he is severely punished especially the Jew girl and her religious father on the orders of Brutus. But what Brutus does not know is that the Jew girl’s father, Azira Yahudi knows Brutus’s deep-down secret and the whereabouts of his long lost loved one.

 

 

+ High Points
i – Nazar-ul-Hassan as Azira Yahudi played the ‘Key Figure’ role as an old, religious father of Jew girl. He gave the best performance from the team.

ii – Fawad Khan as Markas played the main supporting role as the Roman Prince in disguise of a Jew. He performed as well as the script demanded him to be. Other Honorable Mentions: Marya Saad.

iii – The set design was profoundest.

iv – The musical chores helped in uplifting the play’s interest.

v – Decent job in costumes design / management.

vi – The play’s light humor in boosting the significance of the actors’ performance.

vii – Major recognition goes to director, when performances by almost everyone is well placed.

 

+ Low Points
i – Regardless of the play’s fame, Yahudi Ki Larki would be considered as one of the weak plays that respected Khalid Ahmed has ever directed.

ii – Most of the characters were halfheartedly written and are easily forgettable.

iii – The first half of the play is tiresome to watch.

iv – In present times, the classic story seems dull and obsolete. Perhaps, modernizing the story a bit may have sort out this problem.

v – It was very hard to keep a straight face and watch with interest. Most of the times, I kept nodding off on consistent rhyming dialogues.

 

xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

 

+ Full Cast (Sher Khan Ka Makan)

1. Farhan Alam as Sher Khan
2. Naz as Fitna
3. Fraz Chottani as Ghafoor
4. Usman Mazhar as Sheeda Khan
5. Hani Taha as Sheeda Khan’s Wife
6. Hammad Khan as Bakshoo

 

 

+ Plot
A highly irritated husband Sher Khan who claims to be honest, ‘Man of Honor’ who fears no one… except for his wife. You see his wife; Wali has a high and quick temper which she often releases on her husband Sher Khan but sweet to others. In the neighborhood where husbands are usually attracted to each other’s wife unknowingly to one another. But what Sher Khan does not know is that his wife is already flirting with at least two other men for selfish means.

 

 

+ High Points
i – Farhan Alam as Sher Khan performed his role as the most exciting comical character. In most cases, Farhan usually outdid the role that is given to him. The audience loved, cheered for him whenever he appeared or made satirical references.

ii – Naz as Fitna played role of Sher Khan’s nagging wife with first-rate quality. Her realistic performances always win the audience’s hearts. Other Honorable Mentions: Rest of the team.

iii – Praise worthy work by the entire cast members of Sher Khan Ka Makan in playing their roles up to the mark.

iv – The makeup & hair styling did an adequate work to make the cast members’ appearance genuine.

v – The musical chores and vocals helped in gaining the play’s interest.

 

+ Low Points
i – Stereo type jokes and their characters throughout the play only shows how weak the writer really is.

ii – Almost every character kept talking to themselves (in substitute of voice over) to let audience know what he / she is thinking of.

iii – The play was way too short to be entertained by it.

 

+ Overall
Despite the fact it is a double feature play, Yahudi Ki Larki is occasionally moving, and suitably ambitious, still it doesn’t live up to its classic source material as Sher Khan Ka Makan did with its childish, silly humor which doesn’t come at the cost of the play’s core.

 

Rate: 2.75 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Com-Drama theatre play, ‘Aarfy’ (2016), Written by Kamal Ahmed Rizvi and Directed by Akbar Islam.

 

 

+ Note

Originally it is a 1944 play ‘Harvey’ by the American playwright Mary Chase. Chase received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for the work in 1945. It has been adapted for film and television several times, most notably in a 1950 film starring James Stewart.

 

 

+ Full Cast:

1. Akbar Islam as S. M. Ahmed
2. Naz as Atiya
3. Hamza Shykh as Dr. Ahsun
4. Aamir Naqvi as Irshad Sahib
5. Sehrish Qadeer as Erum
6. Faraz Shykh as Wali Muhammad
7. Zaman Abbasi as Driver
8. Samina Aman as Mrs. Bari / Mrs. Zulfi
9. Khalid Sherwani as Dr. Zulfi
10. Faryal Memon as Maryam

 

 

+ Plot

A grown-up man, S. M. Ahmed has an “Imaginary” friend named Aarfy — in the form of a 6″3-foot-tall invisible rabbit. Ahmed’s family and friends believe he is mad as he is the only the one who could see ‘Aarfy’… well, almost the only one.

 

 

+ High Points

i – Another DYNAMIC performance yet again by Naz as Atiya. Those plays are really hard to miss if one learns that she is also performing in them. Her realistic performances, has gain a strong fan following in the theatre audience. Naz is now officially in the zone of ‘Great Performers’.

ii – Akbar Islam as S. M. Ahmed played the lead role really well; bought fond memories of the classic comedy film ‘Harvey’ (1950). This is the first theatrical performance I have watched of Akbar Islam. Honorable Mentions: Aamir Naqvi.

iii – Sehrish Qadeer & Khalid Sherwani performances were mild yet a welcome to theatrical world.

iv – The set design and its props were suitable according to the main scenes.

v – Nice to see new faces in almost the entire cast.

vi – The play is closely based on the film ‘Harvey’ (1950).

vii – Some of the scenes were nicely directed.

 

 

+ Low Points

i – Although the play is closely based on the film but still this comic play was unable to make people laugh and enjoy as one expected from it. The jokes were there but with a huge gap in between. In most places, it seemed as if we were only watching a drama play instead of comedy. Agreed that the play had light comedy in their drama play but the problem is that the premise of the play could have made it even more interesting and humorous to watch. The rules for theatre plays (in storytelling) work differently as to the film / TV. Here the audience wants quick, hilarious jokes, comic punch lines / actions in able to enjoy themselves. If the jokes / good punch lines cannot be placed in certain scenes then those scenes should be interesting to watch. Otherwise you would lose audience attention and level of interest very quickly and easily.

ii – If Aamir Naqvi is given a ‘Pandit’ role, even then he would refuse to cut his hair.

iii – The young cast needs to make more effort and gain more experience before their performances can be labeled as good.

iv – There were several scenes in the play which could have been easily edited out. These scenes had no link with the main plot and had lack of interest to watch. Such as ‘Nurse & Doctor’ scenes, ‘Wali Muhammad & Maryam’ scenes, etc.

v – The chairs placement (close to each other) at Dr. Zullfi hospital looked unnatural.

vi – Some of the young cast voice was too low for the audience to hear them clearly and easily.

vii – Since the play was not really that interesting and its time length was longer than usual plays therefore by 2nd half many people from the audience left the auditorium.

viii – Atiya kept banging the wrong door although she saw several times that the doctor went in to the other one.

 

 

+ Overall

You may be impressed by the lead performances but still Aarfy would leave many disappointed as it seriously lacks good jokes and hilarious punch lines.

 

 

Rate: 2.75 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Rom-Drama theatre play, ‘Ishq Aatish’ (2018).

 

+ Crew

• Costumes Design, Written & Directed by Damyanti Gosai
• Lighting by Masood Rehman
• Direction & Production Design by Danish Irshad Abro and Jahanzaib Qureshi

 

+ Note
Ishq Aatish is a story of two lovers who choose to burn in spite of societal resistances which is still considered a taboo to discuss in many parts of the world.

Similar stories, films been made where this play might have been inspired from. Still, it was a good decision taken by Damyanti. Plus, I’m pleased to see new faces in the cast line-up as well.

 

+ Full Cast

1. Rao M Shahwaiz as Shaman, Assistant #1
2. Rehan Nazim as Prince of Ferozistan
3. Imran Fatani as King
4. Aamir Naqvi as Adviser
5. Tehreem Shafiq as Princess of Unabistan
6. Arsal Khan as Assistant #2 and Villager #1
7. Kiran Siddiqui as Maid
8. Zulfiqar Ali Khan as Haroon Yarzouf (Drunker) and Assassin
9. Ansaar Mahar as Servant and Guard #1
10. Jahan Zaib Navi as Guard #2 and Villager #2

 

 + Plot
Prince of Ferozistan is to be wed off to Princess of Unabistan on the orders of the King and continue to have royal legacy through their traditional customs from generations to generations. But what King doesn’t know is that his son has already given his heart to someone else.

 

+ High Points
i – Kiran Siddiqui as Maid acted very hilarious, very natural… loved how she treated her character. Due to her brilliant performance, she made her scenes most interesting to watch.

ii – A new comer, Rao M Shahwaiz as Shaman plays a very realistic character, as close companion to the prince. He was the second most interesting character to watch. Rao has made sure that the audience would remember him for his memorable performance. Other Honorable Mentions: Aamir Naqvi and Rehan Nazim.

iii – The costume designing is praise worthy and suitable for the characters. And then, I couldn’t help and notice the color of costume given to the characters of Shaman and Assistant #2, played by Rao Shahwaiz and Arsal Khan. The pink color was chosen carefully as this is the color where their community & rights activists present in their movement. Good move.

 

+ Low Points
i – Oh dear, what happened with Imran Fatani’s performance? He played as one of the major characters of this play. There were a number of flaws to talk about. Such as, many times he was seen being stuck to what his line was? He didn’t look calm, felt nervous while dialogue-delivery. There were moments when his co-star was giving his line and he reacted too quickly. But he couldn’t give his line as his fellow star had to complete his sentence first. That look of waiting, was clearly shown on his face. His gestures as royal highness was sometimes over acting, didn’t gave natural reaction as other stars were doing with their performances. Sometimes, Imran’s accent was of Mugal-e-Azam’s time period and sometimes of current times. The director should conduct more rehearsals with Imran, see where he is making mistakes, pin point him and make sure it doesn’t happen again.

ii – I cannot say that I enjoyed the play, as it was slow and mind-numbing to be precise. The writer/director needs to come up with much more interesting sub plots and intriguing punch lines. This would keep the audience more engaged with the play without glancing towards their wrist watch.

iii – Its understandable there might be ‘Budget Issues’. But it would help in boosting the audience’s interest by coming up much better set design and inclusion with relevant props of the time period, the play is based on.

iv – Since there was no / hardly any sub plots, hence the play had lackluster of strong supporting characters. One hour and twenty minutes is more than enough for this play with such limited interesting characters. Its betterment for the play if it is re-written with inclusion of these mentioned missing elements.

v – It’s unfortunate that a technical error occurred during the play, regarding lighting. Being pitch darkness, the play came to a standstill for few seconds. Besides this, there were times where the main light should have been focused on certain characters and not on the background characters. Instead the audience witnessed the entire stage to be brightly lit.

vi – The time length should be decreased, from 80 minutes to 65 – 70 minutes maximum. Since the play was being held downstairs, at basement therefore its time length makes it even harder for the audience to watch with concentration.

 

+ Overall
A different, daring take as Ishq Aatish, which is interesting in terms of performances but still lacks majorly in its story depths, vital supporting characters and its secondary details.

 

Rate: 2.0 out of 5

 

A review on Shakespeare’s play, Pakistani War-Rom theatre play, ‘Anthony & Cleopatra’ (2016).

 

+ Crew

• Director is Vajdaan Shah
• Sound Designers are Ashraf Bhatti & Sarosh Baloch
• Assistant Director is Muntazir Mehdi
• Costumes Designers are Pervez Iqbal & Erum Bashir

 

 

+ Note

Many consider Shakespeare’s Cleopatra, whom Antony describes as having “Infinite Variety,” as one of the most complex and fully developed female characters in the playwright’s body of work.

 

+ Full Cast:

1) Tariq Raja as Mark Anthony

2) Kulsoom Aftab as Cleopatra

3) Ishtiaque-ur-Rasool Omar as Octavius Casesar

4) Shabana Hasan as Charmain

5) Shahjahan Narejo as Mardian

6) Aisha Iqbal as Octavia

7) Faraz Ali as Ventidius

8) Muhammad Zaman as Silius

9) Faizan Chawla as Agrippa

10) Farhan Alam as Domitius Enobarbus

11) Ibad Alam Sher as Scarus

12) Khalid Sherwani as Proculeis

13) Aamir Naqvi as Menas

14) Syed Muhammad Jamil as Lepidus

15) Kashif Hussain as Sextus Pompeis

16) Faisal Hayat as Maecenas

17) Mujtaba Rizvi as Alexas

18) Muntazir Mehdi as Lamprius

19) Ghulam Murtaza as Ambassador

 

 

+ Plot

After defeating Brutus and Cassius, following the assassination of Julius Caesar, Mark Anthony becomes one of the three rulers of the Roman Empire, together with Octavius Caesar and Lepidus. He is in love with Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt and settles in Alexandria. However, Anthony is compelled to return to Rome once learning out the death of his former wife and leave Cleopatra behind who becomes furious rage of jealousy.

 

+ High Points

i – Kulsoom Aftab performed dazzlingly and lovely as Cleopatra. I don’t think any other actress from NAPA would have been as convincing or believable as Kulsoom was for the lead role of Cleopatra. She fully drowned herself in the character’s wants, thoughts as well as her body movements and gestures.

ii – One could see the passion, the love between Anthony and Cleopatra was deep. In a play like this where the title says ‘Anthony & Cleopatra’, a Shakespeare’s plays based on tragic love story, passionate love between the two lovers was a must that was perfectly shown on-stage. It shows the good mutual understanding between the actors and the director. Good Job!

iii – The perfect athletic body of Kashif Hussain as Sextus Pompeis plus a good performer clearly shows as to why he was chosen to play this role.

iv – Shabana Hasan played the supporting role superbly. She is a very good and experienced actress that one confidently believes that she would be able to pull off almost any role easily. Other Honorable Mentions: Muhammad Zaman, Faraz Ali, Aisha Iqbal, Tariq Raja and Ishtiaque-ur-Rasool Omar.

v – The costumes of the characters were well displayed.

vi – There were good punch lines by different characters that were spoken time to time in three hours play.

 

+ Low Points

i – The play was so long and boring that I was literally praying for the characters Anthony & Cleopatra to die so that we able to go home.

ii – The art direction of the stage is definitely a low point. Regardless that there was no budget for it, when the play is set to be performed for public including press then such requirement needs to be fulfilled with mild settings to be least. In a three hours play, this would be a huge drawback for the audience.

iii – The war scenes could have been creatively shown by using small hard boards cut pieces of the soldiers, knights … behind a white sheet while their shadows had indicated the war with proper lighting and music. Reference: watch the scenes of war between European and Ottoman army, in the fame horror film ‘Dracula’ (1992).

iv – This play could have improved with a good margin if there was professional music team who were handling the themes accordingly to the scenes and included some vocal songs with related good music.

v – There were way too many characters with hard names to be remembered by the audience.

vi – Performances by other actors were mediocre, especially by Khalid Sherwani and Syed Muhammad Jamil. But it is unfair to blame them as the long play itself was making it almost impossible for anyone to enjoy.

vii – I believe that a three hours play should be edited and make it to two hours one. There were many scenes where hardly gain any interest among the audience, which were making the viewers’ drowsy, in fact some of the people in audience slept unknowingly at their seats.

viii – Almost half of the audience did not return after the interval and further more (at least) 30% people exited the auditorium before the play could be completed. If the play is not interesting and its time length more than two hours, then this would naturally happen. People after the play complained to be ‘Too long’ or ‘Such a drag’.

ix – Rather than translating every word exactly, change some of it by realizing that how would the audience may response after hearing to these words in such an emotional scene. Sometimes it works while most of the times it does not. Instead of taking such a risk, which breaks the tempo and the efforts which are pour in to make those certain scenes with non-humor content then be very careful and wise to which words you exactly chose to speak while delivering it in front of the audience.

 

+ Overall

Sad to say that as stage play, Anthony & Cleopatra is raddled with flaws especially lacking in both image and action.

 

Rate: 2.25 out of 5 stars

 

A review on Pakistani Comic theatre play, ‘Wakeel Sahab’ (2017), The Production Company is Stage Nomad Productions.

 

+ Crew

• Directed by Zeeshan Haider
• Written by Ferenc Mulnar
• Lights & Back Stage by Rao Nauman
• Costume Management by Pervez Ahmed
• Produced by Irfan Anwar

 

+ Note
Wakeel Sahab’s script was originally written in Hungarian. This play has been conducting for several days yet usually performed consecutively late by almost an hour or so.

 

+ Full Cast:

1. Hammad Ather as Phoja Daku
2. Faizan Fazal as Khizer Hayat Qasuri
3. Vania Shakeel as Sultana Begum
4. Wamiq and Qudsi as Policemen
5. Hasan Ali as Principal
6. Ibrahim Noor as Professor
7. Waleed Nasir as Shafi Abbas
8. Yogeshwar Karera as SP Ghazanfar
9. Urooj Advani as Sheha
10. Kulsoom Fatmia as Shakeela
11. Ibrahim Shabbir as Fazlu
12. Rao Jamal Nasir as Rashid Rehman

 

+ Plot
An unusual friendship between the two very contradictory persons that is Phoja Daku and Khizer Hayat Qasuri. It shows how the lawyer’s irrational desire to get famous in the society through any means necessary. Although his wish does get fulfilled but only by getting himself involved in deep jeopardy!

 

+ High Points
i – Eye candy performance by Kulsoom Fatmia as Shakeela. She performed her role with ease and gracefully. Although her character was written weakly but due to her good performance, she was able to make a curious character to watch. The audience would love to watch her performance in other upcoming projects.

ii – Hammad Ather played the main supporting role much better than rest of the cast. His good acting experiences have made the role of Phoja Daku as exciting one. Other Honorable Mentions: Waleed Nasir and Yogeshwar Karera.

iii – Audience might enjoy ‘Wakeel Sahab’ who are new to watching theatre plays.

iv – On some occasions, there were light gags to be entertained such as can not steal chained objects, taking selfies, emotional blackmailing…

 

+ Low Points
i – Same repeated mistakes of trying to make audience laugh by ‘Looking and Acting Funny’. People do not laugh WITH you but AT you.

ii – Amateur Performances by most of the cast members, especially by Vania Shakeel and Rao Jamal Nasir.

iii – In the first forty minutes or so, it was hard to know to what exactly is the main plot? During the time I wondered why the play is named ‘Wakeel Sahab’ if it is keep focusing on the sub plot that is the two different personality guys who are highly interested in the two sisters.

iv – The screenplay was poorly written with outdated jokes and cheesy punch lines.

v – Since I know the director and his work well therefore the level of direction was executed very poorly. For me it is a mystery, whether he really directed this play or only his name was used?

vi – Several flaws of this play made me kept losing interest to watch while making serious efforts not to fall asleep.

vii – Set was terribly designed. There are multiple single doors just besides each one that indicated as though we are looking at public washrooms. On every side of the double window we have vases / lamps kept while over the same window we have painting / photo hanging on the wall.

viii – Lights were too brightly lit for the play, over exposed.

ix – Almost every main character kept talking to themselves (in substitute of voice over) to let audience know what he / she is thinking of.

x – When was the last time a role was written for a female to perform as a strong, independent brave woman who contributes a vital role for a play? However in its place what we (as audience) are usually presented the female characters as ‘Damsel in Distress’ or ‘Love Interests’.

xi – Why would someone make an effort in stretching out his / her leg to intimate with someone if that person is already sitting just next to you?

 

+ Overall
To direct Wakeel Sahab, the director ultimately makes a mockery of himself with forced humor, middling performances and weak screenplay.

 

Rate: 1.25 out of 5 stars