Arvind Gaur of Asmita Theatre Group directs Mallika Sarabhai and her troupe from Ahmedabad in Ramkali, a Hindi adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s play The Good Person of Szechwan. In Brecht’s original, the gods disguise as ordinary humans and go wandering in China. They are looking out for someone who acts out of goodness rather than greed and evil. Finally, they are led to the home of a prostitute named Shen The, who welcomes them despite living in extreme poverty. The gods are pleased and leave her a lot of money. They are waiting to see what she does with it. To protect her (good and honest) self, she has to create an alter ego, the rough male character of a cousin, who starts to dominate towards the end of the story. Sarabhai plays the double role of Ramkali in the adaptation. The play brings up issues of gender, marginalisation of the poor and corruption.
Ramkali, 12 September, 7 pm. Sri Ram Centre, New Delhi. For more information, call 095 4065 6537 / 098 9965 0509
|