In 1998, prominent English playwrights Ken Whitmore and Alfred Bradley published a murder mystery book titled The Final Twist: A Play. Focusing on this classic thriller’s clever plot and suspenseful storytelling, Bangalore Little Theatre is all set to premiere an Indian adaptation of the play at Ranga Shankara, this weekend. Ahead of the show, we catch up with the director of the production, Bhaskar Gauribidanur, who lets us in on what the audience can expect from this play.
The script, taken as is, revolves around Merlin Foster, a renowned Oscar-winning actor who hires Charlie Nicholson, a struggling writer with writer’s block. The latter finds this as an opportunity to alleviate his debts. “About 18 years ago, my friend told me that I resemble the character of Merlin and that I should play the lead. I got the script from London in 2006 but never got around to staging it. After 20 years I will be taking on the roles of an actor and director of this play,” he shares.
Bhaskar, a winner of The Mahindra Excellence in Theatre Awards (META), will be seen as Merlin, who requests Charlie to write a play that includes the perfect method and alibi for the murder of his wife, Eden. “The Final Twist has been in the works since December and the plot twist is that Merlin asks the writer that Eden (who is the former‘s young wife and an aspiring actress), must remain unaware of this script because he wishes to surprise her with the play,” the director reveals.
Exploring themes like deception and manipulation, the 90-minute English play not only blurs the line between reality and fiction but promises to deliver a thrilling and captivating experience with its set, lighting and music. “Music is a very integral part of the play because we are using Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Symphony No 4, which is the sound of Merlin’s doorbell and a puzzle with clues to how ‘the final twist’ will unfold. Although the set is simple, it’s very pretty and the props align with the 90s’ theme,” he says signing off.
₹300. June 17, 3.30 pm & 7.30 pm. At JP Nagar.