Some performances draw you in with spectacle, but Jujube does it with simplicity. There was a time when evenings drifted by in verandas where people talked, laughed and lingered without hurry, and Jujube offers a small slice of that lost warmth as it unfolds in the leafy veranda of theatre patron Shreya Nagaraj Singh’s Mylapore home. Directed by R Amarendran, it invites audiences to sit back, laugh a little and let curiosity lead the way.
Amarendran has always believed in the power of simplicity. When he began directing in 1992, he pushed against the elitist mould that defined Chennai’s English theatre scene. He staged French plays at the Alliance Française so that students could practise their skills without worrying about cost or access. That spirit of no-frills theatre continues to date, even with Jujube. The name itself reflects it. “The fruit is considered cheap and not important but it has a lot of nutritional value. So I chose this name deliberately,” he says.
The evening will feature a selection of short comedies and possibly a reading. Expect bold humour, risqué punchlines and plenty of puns. “I used to watch plays by Sartre, Genet and Ionesco, which were cerebral, but I switched to comedies by Molière,” he says. His actors keep things sharp and conversational rather than theatrical. “My actors don’t huff and puff and spout long dialogues or do a tirade on social evils. We don’t want the audience to get stressed.” He wants people to enjoy themselves without feeling weighed down.
What excites him most is the chance to break the usual pattern of post-show silence. He hopes this gathering will open people up. “Many people don’t even ask questions in the Q&A sessions. Maybe they are shy. But I am hoping to make them open up. This is what I am excited about,” he shares. The closeness of the veranda helps too. It creates an honesty that traditional stages sometimes dilute. “It is more intimate and the audience can see every nuance of the performers close up,” he says.
True to his long-held philosophy, the event is free for a mature audience. When asked why this model still matters to him in today’s theatre landscape, he says, “Theatre has given me confidence, endless hours of entertainment and lots of life lessons. This joy I want to share with others. For me theatre is not a fleeting fashion but a lifelong passion.”
Email: shivani@newindianexpress.com
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