People in power may have the upper hand, but the common man knows that the tables can turn anytime. When Macbeth killed Duncan, the king of Scotland, assuming he will be the next to rule, little did he know that things would take a different turn. Taking a cue from this idea is the Bengaluru-based theatre company MukhaMugam, which will present, The View From Above, a parody on Macbeth and a political satire. Inspired by the French play Ubu Roi, by Alfred Jarry, The View From Above is written and directed by Spatica Ramanujam.
“The play was written during the late 1800s. It’s about a tyrant called Ubu, who has killed the current king to succeed him, and then dismisses all the ministers to remove all intellectual opposition to him. It is an exaggerated and in-your-face play. It may alienate a certain section of the audience because of the topics it discusses,” explains Spatica. It follows Narayan whose character is based on Ubu’s. He is touted to be the next leader, but is so obsessed with power that he loses focus. A woman called Savitri who has been quietly working for people, ends up becoming the leader. “Narayan is so confident, he doesn’t realise things are closing in on him,” she says.
The cast and director have worked in tandem to devise the play. Spatica explains that traditionally a script was untouched by the director or performers but now things are different. “There was a hierarchy — the script came first and then the director’s vision. But nowadays things are changing. I have worked with my performers to devise the play and it serves the purpose of the play very well,” signs off Spatica.
Rs 250. May 8. 7.30 pm. At Alliance Francaise, Vasanth Nagar
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