Date:02/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/fr/2007/02/02/stories/2007020201480300.htm
Yashwant Sardeshpande's play All the Best had the audience in splits
SOARING POPULARITY CHARTSAll the Best has seen nearly 450 performances in the country and abroad
Last Sunday's performance of Hubli based Guru Nataka Mandali's All the Best at the Kuvempu Ranga Mandira, Avalahalli, evoked memories of yesteryear play performances in Bangalore. It was a familiar scene: the open-air auditorium thronged with eager beavers, waiting for the early evening performance to begin. All the Best has seen nearly 450 performances in the country and internationally. It follows all the tricks of touring popular plays. It is a comedy set in the house of three bachelors, who come with their own set of mannerisms and characterisations. Chandru is a cook at his own local Chinese push cart, and is hearing impaired. Dilip works at a bookstore, and is speech impaired, and Vijay is visually impaired and works in a telephone booth. The three have their own ways of interacting with each other that make for a lot of laughter. The house has been designed to suit their special needs. There are two sets of calling bells, to suit the hearing and the visually impaired. In the midst of all this walks Mohini, a well-meaning, friendly woman, for whom all the three men fall head over heels. They are competing with each other to gain her attention. The confusions and the punch lines by the three actors generated most of the laughter.
The success of this play lies in the portrayal of relatable characters. The sets are simple and look neat. Foldable walls with built-in windows and doors, posters of Amitabh and Aishwarya Rai created the image of bachelor pads. The costumes were realistic too. Most of the actors did a good job, but Yeshwanth Sardeshpande as Chandru was a stand out. The good lighting and sound system added to the effect. Like most popular plays this one gets the audience high on laughter.
DEEPTHY SHEKAR
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