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Magic Lantern's Page on
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The Economic Times Weaving an inimitable theatre magic The space was Alliance Francaise, Chennai, auditorium. The performance consisted of five scenes from the great Tamil classic, Ponniyin Selvan by a theatre group Magic Lantern consisting of young theatre activists and enthusiasts. Expectation of the audience was high because for one, was Kalki's famous classic which had enraptured thousands of readers, especially women, in the earlier part of the century and secondly, the actors, many of them have had the benefit of theatre training... Also, the direction was that of Pravin, whose plays have always been a hit with Chennai and more recently Tamil Nadu audience. I was enthralled by the very first scene, the Periya Pazhuvettarayar, and his followers. What followed next, a Mariamman dance, was dramatic and breathtaking with a primeval tribal quality. The gustily sung song, the possessed dance by Pazhani, the drumbeat accompanying the song were all heady. Instead of going into the performance scene by scene, I would like to recapture what entranced me about the whole experience... The ease with which I shifted into the past history and became an inalienable part of it is indeed a credit to the director and the actors. The choreography of the crowd scenes were remarkable. The sword fights again were thrilling... Full Report Back to Top
India Today It has conspiracy, betrayal, love and hatred in one whopper of a novel. And if all goes according to plan, Ponniyin Selvan will be one whopper of a play. This Tamil classic has captivated fans for almost 50 years, ever since the historical thriller by R. Krishnamoorthy (or Kalki as he was popularly known) began to be serialised. Now, an amateur theatre group from Chennai called Magic Lantern is putting the play together for a premiere on April 14 in Thanjavur on the grounds of the ruined Chola palace. The performance marks the 100th birth anniversary of Kalki. The play will then travel to Tiruchi, Coimbatore, Madurai and Chennai. The characters have been streamlined to 50 and many of the 30-odd actors will play double roles. The story is set during the strife-torn Chola kingdom of about 1,000 years ago and the illness and impending death of kind Sundara Cholan.... Leading actors from the Tamil film industry like Nasser, award-winning set designer Thota Tharani and Nalini Sriram, who designed costumes from Bombay, are going to help out in the Rs. 50 lakh production put together by a mix of professional actors from the Tamil and English stage in Chennai and amateurs... Full Report Back to Top
Expressweek Transcribing 'Ponniyin Selvan' into a play is not easy. Tamil author Sivasankari says it is like tyring to fit an elephant into a pot. M.G. Ramachandran attempted and abandoned. More recently, director Manirathnam is rumoured to have had a shot at it but failed. Kamal Hassan is also holding onto a ready script, too big to handle. But now, the Chennai-based theatre group Magic Lantern has managed to script down the epic to a three-and-half hour play (they are all set to go on stage this May).... Script writer Kumaravel has worked for the past seven months at cutting the script to its present three hours and 55 scenes. Effort has been made to stick to the main storyline of the conspiracy. "The beauty of the play is that there are no villains and all the characters are well-rounded. It is also a story with a lot of intrigue. There is room for 'total theatre' with music, dance and fights," preens Kumaravel.... Music for the play will be rendered with the aid of folk instruments like the pambai, kombu, chatti panai and kai silambu. The South Indian martial arts like the 'silambam' (or stick fighting) and the sword fight, being incorporated under the choreography of Pasupathi, provide for a wide repertoire. This production has been a voyage of discovery for its creators. As Hans Kaushik, who plays the protagonist Ponniyin Selvan, enlightens, "We required swords of a certain shape, size and curvature. But to our disappointment, we found that the craft of 'ironmongery' is almost extinct today... The actual sets of Thota Tarani will stretch to a width of 60 feet, depth of 40 feet and height of 12 to 13 feet, clearly meant for an open air production... Lighting will play a major role in defining the space for scenes, as they pass through various locales... Full Report Back to Top CLICK HERE TO GET BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM
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