Auroville Theatre Group brings Alexander Pushkin's Mozart and Salieri and The Stone Guest to life

What happens when envy, genius, desire and mortality collide on stage? The Auroville Theatre Group's latest production attempts to answer that question by bringing together two of Alexander Pushkin's acclaimed short plays—Mozart and Salieri and The Stone Guest. Though different in setting and story, the two works are united by their exploration of obsession and the choices that ultimately shape human destiny.

How Auroville Theatre Group reimagines Alexander Pushkin's Mozart and Salieri and The Stone Guest

For director Rupam Mishra, presenting the plays as a single theatrical experience was a natural decision. “ I chose to stage Mozart and Salieri and The Stone Guest together because they complement each other beautifully. Though they tell different stories, both explore timeless aspects of human nature—envy, ambition, desire, and the consequences of our choices. In Mozart and Salieri , Pushkin examines the destructive power of jealousy in the world of art, while The Stone Guest explores passion, seduction, and mortality through the legendary figure of Don Juan. Pushkin's characters are complex and flawed. We hope audiences leave the theatre not only appreciating his extraordinary writing but also reflecting on questions that remain relevant today: What drives us? What do we sacrifice for our desires? And where do we draw the line between passion and obsession?”

As Rupam immersed herself in the texts, she found an unexpected thread connecting the two plays. Despite their contrasting worlds, both centre on characters consumed by a single overpowering emotion. “What struck me most was that both plays are really about people who become prisoners of a single overwhelming emotion. In Mozart and Salieri, that emotion is envy. Salieri cannot accept that genius can exist without the struggle and discipline he believes it deserves. In The Stone Guest , Don Juan is consumed by desire and the thrill of defying every moral and social boundary. Although their motivations are different, both protagonists are driven by obsession. They make choices that challenge the natural order, and those choices ultimately lead them toward tragedy. Pushkin invites us to understand the complexity of their inner lives. As a director, I was fascinated by how contemporary these conflicts feel. Whether it is the pressure to succeed, the temptation to possess what we cannot have, or the consequences of living without limits, these are struggles that people still face today. That universality is what makes these two plays such a compelling pairing.”

We ask Rupam to imagine Mozart, Salieri and Don Juan sharing the same room, and she pictures a spirited debate on art, freedom and the purpose of life. “Interesting question! I imagine it would begin as a conversation about freedom. Mozart would speak of the freedom of creation—music as something joyful and almost effortless. Salieri would argue that true art comes from discipline, sacrifice, and relentless work, questioning whether talent alone deserves greatness. Don Juan would dismiss both, insisting that life itself is the greatest art and that it should be lived without fear or restraint.”

The production's emotional high point, she says, arrives during Don Juan's confrontation with the Commander. “There were many memorable moments, but one that excited me the most was the encounter between Don Juan and the Commander in The Stone Guest.Don Juan is not simply facing a ghost, but the consequences of a life lived without accountability.”

The greatest challenge, however, lay not in staging individual scenes but in weaving two independent plays into one cohesive theatrical journey. “The biggest artistic risk was presenting two very different plays as a single theatrical experience. We want audiences to feel that they were watching two chapters of the same exploration of human nature rather than two unrelated stories.For me, good theatre doesn't provide all the answers. It creates a space where audiences can reflect, question, and interpret. That is the spirit in which I approached these stories.”

Among Pushkin's memorable characters, Salieri is the one who remained with Rupam long after rehearsals ended. “Salieri's journey stayed with me the longest. He is intelligent, disciplined, and deeply devoted to his art, yet he is haunted by the belief that hard work should be rewarded above all else. What makes him so compelling is that his conflict is profoundly human. Most of us have experienced moments of comparison, self-doubt, or the feeling that life isn't fair. Pushkin takes those familiar emotions to their most tragic conclusion. As a director, I found myself returning to Salieri's questions rather than his actions. What do we owe our talent? How do we respond when someone else's brilliance challenges our sense of self? Those are questions that remain relevant not only to artists but to anyone striving for excellence.”

The Auroville Theatre Group has built a reputation for revisiting classical texts, and Mishra believes their enduring relevance lies in the questions they continue to ask of audiences. “Classical works endure because they speak to fundamental questions about what it means to be human. They explore love, ambition, jealousy, power, morality, and mortality—questions that remain as urgent today as they were centuries ago. While the social context may change, human nature changes very little. Contemporary plays often respond to the issues of a particular moment, and that is their strength. Classical works, however, have already survived the test of time. They have been reinterpreted by generations of artists because they continue to reveal new layers of meaning. As a director, that is what excites me most.”

Entry Free. July 17 to 19, 7.30 pm.

At Cripa, Auroville, Puducherry

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