Published in 'The Friday Times' [TFT]
July 21 - 27, 2007
By Fariha Rashed
In a country where there is an extreme dearth of stimulating entertainment, parallel amateur theatre comes as a relatively new, yet refreshing concept. It is in particular a welcome addition to the only place on the planet, where fashion shows are considered a source of entertainment, usually packed with an audience comprising bureaucrats and the nouveau riche. Surprisingly, media and potential buyers are seldom seen at these ‘grand events’. The clothes or designers matter little and instead the skimpily clad models, awkwardly strutting down the catwalk, are of more importance. Keeping in mind the above mentioned sad state of Pakistani entertainment, Shah Sharahbeel’s play ‘You Only Marry Twice’ came as a breath of fresh air. The man has managed to carve a niche for his theatre company called Centre Stage Productions as audiences and sponsors acknowledge his unique vision and insight. Shahrabeel has had numerous successful plays in the past, shown in Lahore, Karachi and Islamabad. His latest play was performed in Lahore’s largest hall at Al-Hamra and was sponsored by one of the leading telecommunication companies in the country, along with the Lahore Arts Council.
‘You Only Marry Twice’ is based on the farce ‘Caught in the Net’ by Ray Cooney. It centers on bigamist John Smith who has been juggling two separate families which are living in two different areas of the city. He tries desperately to keep his two wives from discovering each other, and manages to do that successfully for 18 years. However, one fine day his daughter and son, from two different wives, date on the internet and decide to meet up to discuss their fathers, who ironically have the same name and are both taxi-drivers. From then on the play takes the audience on a roller coaster ride. Twists and turns occur in the plot as it falls upon John’s best friend Stanley Gardner to try and stop the children from meeting each other. The slogan “who knew mayhem was a mouse click away” cleverly puts the play’s central theme into perspective. In essence, ‘You Only Marry Twice’ is a light play that although comical in nature, revolves around the delicacy and intricacies of relationships and marriage. The best part about watching this play was that almost every person in the audience could relate to the theme in one way or another. They saw their own reflections in the myriad of characters, and on a personal level, were able to relate to each of these character’s dilemmas.
The set, designed by Asad Zaidi who has just completed his third year at Pakistan School of Fashion Design, was cleverly constructed. Asad made use of different colors to separate two different households created on one set. Lighting and sound, managed largely by Hassan Suleman Rizwan, was effective. Hall management was on its toes at all times during the play, ready to snatch away people’s mobiles if they rang. Although many complained that this kind of treatment is oppressive, for the first time in history, a Lahori audience sat through a non-stop one hour and forty minute long play, without a single mobile ringing or a single hoot being heard from any audience member. This indeed is an accomplishment worth noting. Choreography was taken care of by the talented Atif Khan who even managed to get a stiff Ian to miraculously dance. Although the dance segment at the very end was not well synchronized, it was thoroughly entertaining none the less.
One area where Shahrabeel needs to be a little more careful is timing. The play began late each night and therefore ended late as well. Due to this, a few people with other commitments had to sadly get up and leave during the performance. Also, Al Hamra’s AC’s were not cooling the hall well enough and one could see both actors and audience members sweating and feeling uncomfortable owing to the heat. Although all actors did well on the whole, a few of them did a better job in understanding and portraying their character. Ian Eldred’s performance while playing Stanley Gardner was crisp and almost flawless. His dialogue delivery and face expressions were in sync, and his body movement accompanied by his talent to use the stage space well, served to instantly captivate audience members. He, along with Muhammad Ali Jan who played John Smith, gave energized performances day after day, as if performing the play for the first time each night. Others, including Ushna Shah [playing Vicki Smith], A’hera Mathew [playing Barbara Smith] and Shaan Lashari [playing Gavin Smith] started out a little rusty as far as voice projection and speech clarity is concerned, but they got better with each passing performance, as their confidence and comfort on stage increased. Irsa Ghazal, playing Mary Smith, and Ijlal Khan, playing Mr. Gardner, both had excellent voice projection and are competent performers on stage. While established stage and television actress Isra lent her roles emotional depth, Ijlal’s love for theatre at once came spilling through on stage, translating itself into a passionately hilarious portrayal of Mr. Gardner.
It seems Sharahbeel’s reputation for putting up quality theatre far exceeded him, as the play’s opening night instantly drew in crowds of people. By the fifth night, word had spread all across the city and the hall was suddenly jam-packed till the last day. Furthermore, hundreds of eager, young, aspiring actors were keen to audition for a part in ‘You Only Marry Twice’. Sharabeel, as the director of the play, explains that “there are a few basic things that have to be kept in mind when choosing actors for particular roles during auditions. These include compatibility with the rest of the cast, voice projection and appearance.” Rehearsals, according to Muhammad Ali Jan, “went on for two whole months…..stretching at times till three in the morning.” Sharahbeel is most respected by his team for encouraging new talent and giving them a platform on which to prove themselves and show their potential. Mudassir Sheikh, a senior undergrad at LUMS and an RJ in his spare time, acted as everything from the Assistant Director, Media Coordinator, Presenter, Props In Charge, Production Manager to being involved in Backstage Management. He says “this experience has given me great exposure; great fun, great new friends and I have managed to learn a lot”. Ian Eldred who is known to be a master of improvisation on stage, adding a dozen extra ‘bloody’s’ to his lines in the play, exclaims “this experience has given me access to bloody good food, every single night, on the house!” Apparently the whole cast was treated to scrumptious food at various restaurants across Lahore. Ian also feels that working in Shahrabeel’s play cannot be compared to working with any other director in Pakistan. Shahrabeel’s motto as a director is “discipline, hard work, and passion”, to which his whole cast chants “discipline is an understatement!”
It is strongly felt by the cast members and by Shahrabeel himself, that the responsibility to encourage the efforts of young, amateur talent that has put in hours and hours of hard work to bring twelve consecutive nights of thrilling entertainment to the people of Lahore falls upon the shoulders of the media. Healthy criticism is always appreciated by actors, who feel they can learn from it and improve where they are lacking. However, reviews should not carry criticism for the sake of criticism and praise should be given where it is due. It is commendable that these youngsters and Shahrabeel, even in the face of poor tradition and infrastructure when it comes to theatre, have brought to Pakistan a new form of praiseworthy drama. The government and the corporate sector should work together to nurture this budding theatre culture and create an atmosphere where it can blossom further.
‘You Only Marry Twice’ is based on the farce ‘Caught in the Net’ by Ray Cooney. It centers on bigamist John Smith who has been juggling two separate families which are living in two different areas of the city. He tries desperately to keep his two wives from discovering each other, and manages to do that successfully for 18 years. However, one fine day his daughter and son, from two different wives, date on the internet and decide to meet up to discuss their fathers, who ironically have the same name and are both taxi-drivers. From then on the play takes the audience on a roller coaster ride. Twists and turns occur in the plot as it falls upon John’s best friend Stanley Gardner to try and stop the children from meeting each other. The slogan “who knew mayhem was a mouse click away” cleverly puts the play’s central theme into perspective. In essence, ‘You Only Marry Twice’ is a light play that although comical in nature, revolves around the delicacy and intricacies of relationships and marriage. The best part about watching this play was that almost every person in the audience could relate to the theme in one way or another. They saw their own reflections in the myriad of characters, and on a personal level, were able to relate to each of these character’s dilemmas.
The set, designed by Asad Zaidi who has just completed his third year at Pakistan School of Fashion Design, was cleverly constructed. Asad made use of different colors to separate two different households created on one set. Lighting and sound, managed largely by Hassan Suleman Rizwan, was effective. Hall management was on its toes at all times during the play, ready to snatch away people’s mobiles if they rang. Although many complained that this kind of treatment is oppressive, for the first time in history, a Lahori audience sat through a non-stop one hour and forty minute long play, without a single mobile ringing or a single hoot being heard from any audience member. This indeed is an accomplishment worth noting. Choreography was taken care of by the talented Atif Khan who even managed to get a stiff Ian to miraculously dance. Although the dance segment at the very end was not well synchronized, it was thoroughly entertaining none the less.
One area where Shahrabeel needs to be a little more careful is timing. The play began late each night and therefore ended late as well. Due to this, a few people with other commitments had to sadly get up and leave during the performance. Also, Al Hamra’s AC’s were not cooling the hall well enough and one could see both actors and audience members sweating and feeling uncomfortable owing to the heat. Although all actors did well on the whole, a few of them did a better job in understanding and portraying their character. Ian Eldred’s performance while playing Stanley Gardner was crisp and almost flawless. His dialogue delivery and face expressions were in sync, and his body movement accompanied by his talent to use the stage space well, served to instantly captivate audience members. He, along with Muhammad Ali Jan who played John Smith, gave energized performances day after day, as if performing the play for the first time each night. Others, including Ushna Shah [playing Vicki Smith], A’hera Mathew [playing Barbara Smith] and Shaan Lashari [playing Gavin Smith] started out a little rusty as far as voice projection and speech clarity is concerned, but they got better with each passing performance, as their confidence and comfort on stage increased. Irsa Ghazal, playing Mary Smith, and Ijlal Khan, playing Mr. Gardner, both had excellent voice projection and are competent performers on stage. While established stage and television actress Isra lent her roles emotional depth, Ijlal’s love for theatre at once came spilling through on stage, translating itself into a passionately hilarious portrayal of Mr. Gardner.
It seems Sharahbeel’s reputation for putting up quality theatre far exceeded him, as the play’s opening night instantly drew in crowds of people. By the fifth night, word had spread all across the city and the hall was suddenly jam-packed till the last day. Furthermore, hundreds of eager, young, aspiring actors were keen to audition for a part in ‘You Only Marry Twice’. Sharabeel, as the director of the play, explains that “there are a few basic things that have to be kept in mind when choosing actors for particular roles during auditions. These include compatibility with the rest of the cast, voice projection and appearance.” Rehearsals, according to Muhammad Ali Jan, “went on for two whole months…..stretching at times till three in the morning.” Sharahbeel is most respected by his team for encouraging new talent and giving them a platform on which to prove themselves and show their potential. Mudassir Sheikh, a senior undergrad at LUMS and an RJ in his spare time, acted as everything from the Assistant Director, Media Coordinator, Presenter, Props In Charge, Production Manager to being involved in Backstage Management. He says “this experience has given me great exposure; great fun, great new friends and I have managed to learn a lot”. Ian Eldred who is known to be a master of improvisation on stage, adding a dozen extra ‘bloody’s’ to his lines in the play, exclaims “this experience has given me access to bloody good food, every single night, on the house!” Apparently the whole cast was treated to scrumptious food at various restaurants across Lahore. Ian also feels that working in Shahrabeel’s play cannot be compared to working with any other director in Pakistan. Shahrabeel’s motto as a director is “discipline, hard work, and passion”, to which his whole cast chants “discipline is an understatement!”
It is strongly felt by the cast members and by Shahrabeel himself, that the responsibility to encourage the efforts of young, amateur talent that has put in hours and hours of hard work to bring twelve consecutive nights of thrilling entertainment to the people of Lahore falls upon the shoulders of the media. Healthy criticism is always appreciated by actors, who feel they can learn from it and improve where they are lacking. However, reviews should not carry criticism for the sake of criticism and praise should be given where it is due. It is commendable that these youngsters and Shahrabeel, even in the face of poor tradition and infrastructure when it comes to theatre, have brought to Pakistan a new form of praiseworthy drama. The government and the corporate sector should work together to nurture this budding theatre culture and create an atmosphere where it can blossom further.
