On The Go with Chekhov in Delhi

Anton Chekhov, naam to suna hoga. If yes, here is your treat and if no, grab chance to learn and watch him unfold on the Capital stage. Presented by Curtain Call productions, titled On The Go, the play is a blend of short stories written by the legendary author and is directed by Vishesh Arora.

‘I was mulling over doing a play based on short stories for long and then finally settled on Chekhov since he is the best amongst all contemprary short story writers. It required a lot of effort in terms of finding good actors and conceptualising to execution of the play, which all happened in less than a month,’ said Arora. ‘The striking part is that the stories I have shortlisted are all a mix of many genres like satire, comdey and romance. 

It prefectly mirrors the image of our Indian society in current times. Plus the elements like lighting and costumes have to be taken care of since we are putting up a particular era of Russian society,’ he added.The stories which are to performed include- The Boor (also known as The Bear), The Lottery Ticket and A Marriage Proposal.

While The Boor revolves around the fickleness of feelings and commitment. And explores the ironies of life which could happen to anybody in life, The Lottery Ticket is based on how money can alter relationships and A Marriage Proposal explores the process of getting married and is a satire on the upper middle class and process of courtship. 

The play points out the struggle to balance the economic necessities of marriage and what the characters actually want. Manil Mayank Mishra who essays the role of Mr Smirnov in The Boor says, ‘My character is of a protagonist who has a covert emotional side to him. But since he shares a tragic past his belief in love and commitment is shattered. He keeps himself  occupied and engrossed with the practical world...To fit into the character I had to refer videos and books based on Russian culture and then portray them on stage.’