With a wealthy widow, her son and maids in the mix, set in early 1930's, Maid to Order is essentially a farce. The one and a half hour long play set in the backdrop of an upper class household is about how an evening that was supposed to be perfect turns into absolute chaos.
Staged for the first time, the play is based on a script written by New-York-based playwright Mathew K Begbie and is likely to remind you of the comedy group Monty Python or sitcoms like Mind Your Language, according to the director, Prince Sunny Abraham.
Having been active in theatre production since 2010, Sunny says it is his first full fledged directorial. “Comedy, on any day is difficult to pull off. Even in terms of acting, it isn’t a piece of cake because of the way it has to be presented. Little things such as timing and reactions matter a lot and most importantly, the actors have to be genuine about it. As the director, what I had to primarily do was to make sure that all actors get to effortlessly jump into the funny situations on which the play is based on,” says Sunny who added that the play has a plot that is fast paced and picks up more speed as it goes.
“While we have kept the set very minimal by sticking to the basic requirements, we have worked on certain elements for the set design such as a grand foyer, a huge door and a grandfather clock - all that will give an impression of the old mansion. And for the costume, although we have done our best to stick to the timeline, we have also tried to give it a slight new age edge to it,” he shares.
The play that is a mix of verbal and slapstick comedy has a 10 member cast and much like in any ensemble, each performer is given ample stage time. Ask him about the kind of audience he expects and he says, “While the period and the tonality of the play is likely to be more relatable for the older generation, we have consciously incorporated more youngsters in the act so that the young crowd will also be able to enjoy it,” shares the 29-year-old director who also teaches music.
Yet to be taken to other cities, the play is the second by Chennai-based Purple Rainbow Productions, the entertainment company that was founded earlier in May. “Our first production was a dark comedy, whereas this one is a farce. Up next we are looking at coming up with plays in different genres, more in lines of thrillers and mysteries, says Gabriello Verghese, the founder of the production who is also playing James, the unexpected guest in the play.
11-12 November
4pm and 7pm
Tickets at `300 in Boookmyshow and Eventjini
Details: 9840749288.