<p class="bodytext">The Madras Players, one of the oldest English theatre groups in India, are bringing their latest play ‘Kamalakshi’ to the city this Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Directed by P C Ramakrishna, the play will feature Bharatanatyam and live Karnatik music.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It is a fictitious story about a late 19th century Devadasi dancer called Kamalakshi. As Kamalakshi dances in the temple, Sivaguru sings. They’re both fascinated by each other. “Devadasis are servants of the lord. They are married to the lord of the temple and are not allowed to marry any mortal. We’ve explored this conflict in the play,” Ramakrishna tells Metrolife. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Bengaluru-based dancer Sumitra Nitin plays Kamalakshi and vocalist Sikkil Gurucharan plays Sivaguru. </p>.Manav Kaul's musical on teenage love this weekend .<p class="bodytext">“I was interested in the play as I come from a music background. We had explored a musical with ‘Trinity’, which was about the three pillars of Karnatik music. With ‘Kamalakshi’, I was also able to bring in dance,” <br />Ramakrishna shares.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The play is written by dance scholar, musicologist, and writer Sujatha Vijayaraghavan. It uses LED images for backdrops.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Speaking about the play’s relevance, Ramakrishna says: “It discusses the various aspects of the Devadasi system and how some girls feel trapped in it. They are not allowed to live normal lives like other women their age. The Devadasi system is still prevalent in many parts of the country.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ramakrishna is known for directing a number of plays for The Madras Players like ‘Water’, ‘Chudamani’, and ‘Lakshmikanthan’. While ‘Water’ and ‘Chudamani’ were based on R Chudamani’s short stories, ‘Lakshmikanthan’ is a courtroom drama, which recreated the infamous trial of renowned actor <br />M K Thyagaraja Bhagavatar and film producer N S Krishna, who were charged with murder.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Madras Players was founded in the early 1960s and boasts about 250 productions. The group initially performed adaptations of William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. “In the last 25 years, our focus has shifted towards Indian stories and authors,” says theatre artiste S Ram, who has been with the group for the past 10 years. “We have presented works of Badal Sircar, Mohan Rakesh, Girish Karnad and Vijay Tendulkar,” he shares. </p>.<p class="bodytext">When Karnad worked at the Oxford University Press in Chennai, he was an active member of the group. He wrote, directed and acted in multiple plays with the group. Karnad’s ‘Yayati’ was first performed by the group that subsequently also produced his other works like ‘Nagamandala’, ‘Hayavadana’ and ‘Tughlaq’. </p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">‘Kamalakshi’ on February 28, 7 pm at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Vyalikaval. Tickets online.</span></p>
<p class="bodytext">The Madras Players, one of the oldest English theatre groups in India, are bringing their latest play ‘Kamalakshi’ to the city this Friday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Directed by P C Ramakrishna, the play will feature Bharatanatyam and live Karnatik music.</p>.<p class="bodytext">It is a fictitious story about a late 19th century Devadasi dancer called Kamalakshi. As Kamalakshi dances in the temple, Sivaguru sings. They’re both fascinated by each other. “Devadasis are servants of the lord. They are married to the lord of the temple and are not allowed to marry any mortal. We’ve explored this conflict in the play,” Ramakrishna tells Metrolife. </p>.<p class="bodytext">Bengaluru-based dancer Sumitra Nitin plays Kamalakshi and vocalist Sikkil Gurucharan plays Sivaguru. </p>.Manav Kaul's musical on teenage love this weekend .<p class="bodytext">“I was interested in the play as I come from a music background. We had explored a musical with ‘Trinity’, which was about the three pillars of Karnatik music. With ‘Kamalakshi’, I was also able to bring in dance,” <br />Ramakrishna shares.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The play is written by dance scholar, musicologist, and writer Sujatha Vijayaraghavan. It uses LED images for backdrops.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Speaking about the play’s relevance, Ramakrishna says: “It discusses the various aspects of the Devadasi system and how some girls feel trapped in it. They are not allowed to live normal lives like other women their age. The Devadasi system is still prevalent in many parts of the country.”</p>.<p class="bodytext">Ramakrishna is known for directing a number of plays for The Madras Players like ‘Water’, ‘Chudamani’, and ‘Lakshmikanthan’. While ‘Water’ and ‘Chudamani’ were based on R Chudamani’s short stories, ‘Lakshmikanthan’ is a courtroom drama, which recreated the infamous trial of renowned actor <br />M K Thyagaraja Bhagavatar and film producer N S Krishna, who were charged with murder.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The Madras Players was founded in the early 1960s and boasts about 250 productions. The group initially performed adaptations of William Shakespeare and Agatha Christie. “In the last 25 years, our focus has shifted towards Indian stories and authors,” says theatre artiste S Ram, who has been with the group for the past 10 years. “We have presented works of Badal Sircar, Mohan Rakesh, Girish Karnad and Vijay Tendulkar,” he shares. </p>.<p class="bodytext">When Karnad worked at the Oxford University Press in Chennai, he was an active member of the group. He wrote, directed and acted in multiple plays with the group. Karnad’s ‘Yayati’ was first performed by the group that subsequently also produced his other works like ‘Nagamandala’, ‘Hayavadana’ and ‘Tughlaq’. </p>.<p class="bodytext"><span class="italic">‘Kamalakshi’ on February 28, 7 pm at Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Vyalikaval. Tickets online.</span></p>