NEWSPAPER REVIEWS- HAMLET

HAMLET

[NEWSPAPER REVIEWS]

The British Council is pleased to support Pravah Theatre Laboratory’s performance of Hamlet, Directed by Neeraj Kabi - British Council, Mumbai July, 2005.

How does a theatre group get today’s audiences to see a Shakespeare play? Neeraj Kabi and his group Pravah did some interesting work with Hamlet and presented a show that was experimental in the best sense of the term. By Deepa Gahlot, Bombay Times, THE TIMES OF INDIA, Saturday, 30 July, 2005.

He blended the original English work with Harivanshrai Bachchan’s excellent Hindi translation, used Yakshagana performers from Karnataka, live Dhrupad singing and a team of spirited young actors to produce a very watchable play. By Deepa Gahlot, Bombay Times, THE TIMES OF INDIA, Saturday, 30 July, 2005.

They managed to hold the packed audItorium for nearly two hours (without an interval). - By Deepa Gahlot, Bombay Times, THE TIMES OF INDIA, Saturday, 30 July, 2005.

Created by Shakespeare and adapted by Harivanshrai Bachchan, Hamlet now hits Mumbai as an ensemble of both visions. The original dialogue is merged with Hindi and an integration of various art forms like bharatnatyam, odissi and ancient music forms dhrupad and yakshagana. - By Sulakshana Gupta, The Indian EXPRESS, Tuesday,July 19, 2005.

Desi Hamlet - The Prince of Denmark. Two Hamlets, one male, one female. A puny king and a towering Polonius. Dialogue that bounces between Shakespeare’s English and Harivanshrai Bachchan’s Hindi translation, Dhrupad, yakshagana and Kabuki. An unlikely melange, perhaps, but that’s what we’ve come to expect from Neeraj Kabi. Kabi’s version of Hamlet’s quest for truth and justice attempts to adapt the Bard’s Elizabethan world to Indian sensibilities. - By Jayati Vora, TIME OUT MUMBAI, July 15, 2005.

Kabi’s production seems almost like a ballet. Which is very attractive. Kabi’s Hamlet is an adventurous project that makes for interesting viewing. – TIME OUT MUMBAI AUGUST 12 – 25, 2005.

Kabi’s plays, including his debut Aham, emphasise creative use of body movements. This play, as a flurry of images, is detailed and delicious.- Ananya Sen, DNA Mumbai, Saturday August 13 – 2005.

Director-actor Neeraj Kabi of Mumbai, who brought his production of "Hamlet" to the just ended Theatre Utsav of the National School of Drama in Delhi. At the festival his production was received as a remarkable experimental piece of theatrical art. -Diwan Singh Bajeli, The Hindu Delhi , 27 January, 2006

"We had the very exciting Hamlet by Neeraj Kabi. After a long time, we saw challenging new work from Bombay with new ways of constructing narrative." – Amal Allana , who heads the National School of Drama, talks to Subuhi Jiwani about its ongoing international theatre festival and the modernity of Asian and Arab theatre . DNA Mumbai, 13 Jan, 2006