Aswin Mushran and Aditya Rawal (L) during rehearsals of the play As Bees in Honey Drown.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
After a successful run in Mumbai, ‘As Bees In Honey Drown’ an adaptation of Douglas Carter Beane’s witty and adventurous lay is set to grace the stage in Delhi this weekend, for the first time. The contemporary tale weaves a captivating narrative around Prateek Gandhi, a young, debutante novelist portrayed by Aditya Rawal, who ventures from Ahmedabad to Mumbai following the resounding success of his first novel.
In the colourful city of Mumbai, Prateek’s world collides with that of Alexa DeVitre, a dynamic music producer brought to life by Shikha Talsania. Alexa is a woman of intelligence, wit, and remarkable success. She hires Pratik to write her life story as a screenplay. Together, they embark on a thrilling journey through the glitzy world of success.
The play’s title signifies how the pursuit of success brings potential hazards along with it. Director Anahita Uberoi says the themes of the play have gained newfound relevance in the age of social media, where actors have direct access to the audience. They have the power to portray themselves the way they want people to perceive them. “I wanted to direct it a decade ago. But at that time it did not seem as relevant as it seems today”, she says.
Anahita explains how she has focussed on the contemporary relevance by highlighting parallel stories of real-life Indian novelists, such as Amish Tripathi, who have achieved phenomenal success on a global scale in the past decade. The play’s adaptation to the Indian context by Akarsh Khurana makes it easily relatable.
Tavish Bhattacharya (L), Shikha Talsania (C) and Aditya Rawal during rehearsals of the play As Bees in Honey Drown.
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The cast comprises six talented actors, with two of them playing single roles and the rest taking on multiple characters from the entertainment industry in Mumbai. “The main challenge was how to make the characters physically different. In your head they are different people but how do we get the audience to see that. Change in body language and physicality pretty much did the trick”, says Ashwin Mushran, who is playing three different roles.
The play exudes the rhythm and vibrancy of Bombay city, with its colorful characters and bustling energy. The set design posed another exciting challenge, considering the quick pace and varied locations the play traverses. However, the designers brilliantly crafted a versatile playground for the actors to play with.
“It is a light play so the rehearsals were always fun. We were always experimenting with new things and falling off our seats, laughing”, says Aditya, who is making a comeback to theatre after six years.
Anahita defines As Bees In Honey Drown as an actor’s play. “It encourages diverse interpretations and empowers the performers to infuse their own energies into their roles,” she says. The artistic freedom granted by Anahita allows the actors to shine and add a unique personal touch to the play.
At Kamani Auditorium, Copernicus Marg; On July 22, 7.30pm and July 23, 4pm and 7.30pm