Top

Witty, sardonic classic Hate Mail' in contemporary light

In the play both the characters stay on stage all through, using different spaces.

Bengaluru: Preston, a spoilt wealthy young man, one day walked into a souvenir store and bought himself a snowglobe. When the snowglobe broke and ruined his jacket, he dashed off an angry letter to the store, getting the shop girl, Dahlia, fired from her job. That's when the fun begins. The two began dashing off a spate of angst-ridden letters to each other and audiences are given a peek into their blossoming relationship.

That's a brief outline of Bill Corbett's epistolary play, Hate Mail, set by the fact that the two protagonists communicate entirely through letters. "There are a few other plays, all classics," said Deeban, the director. "'Love Letters' is the best-known example of an epistolary play. Tumhari Amrita is its Hindi adaptation, directed by Feroz Abbas Khan, starring Shabana Azmi and Farooq Sheikh. We fall into that genre and the only difference is that our story is more contemporary. It's set in the 1990s or thereabouts," he said. The play is set in the pre-smartphone era and the protagonists use letters and towards the end of the play, chatrooms.

"I watched these plays and liked the genre," remarked Deeban, whose theatre group, Playtonik Productions had performed set-heavy, all-out entertainers like California Suite and Funny Money in the past. "On the other hand, this format had characters sitting behind a desk and reading. Their only tool is voice modulation. A lot depends on the director and his or her vision."

Hate Mail has a very minimalistic set too, comprising six wooden cubes that transform, during the course of the play, from table to chair to room or anything they need to be. "I wanted to keep it simple but I didn't want a reading approach either," said Deeban. "It boils down to how you use the space."

In the play both the characters stay on stage all through, using different spaces. "The play works best in full-blown auditoriums where you have the luxury of lights," said Deeban, who has staged the play at alternative spaces like Shoonya and Atta Galatta. "Actually, a large hall - even a big conference room will do!" he added.

When: April 25, 26
Where: Ranga Shankara, 8th Cross, II Phase, JP Nagar

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
Next Story