Michael Muthu directed his first play way back in 1989 for the Loyola Theatre Society. A play called God written by Woody Allen, a satire about theatre. And we feel that right there, Mike (as he is fondly called) found his true calling — comedy. We catch up with the veteran theatre personality as he winds up rehearsals for his latest production comprising two short plays, Fragments and The Tiger that will be staged this weekend. Presenting it in collaboration with CAT (Chennai Art Theatre), Mike adds how this one is close to his heart. “We wanted to do these plays for a while now. I am personally very attached to these plays... as these were the first plays I ever performed with Mithran Devanesan 33 years ago at the United States Information Services Centre...” says the founder of Boardwalkers, who has staged seven plays by the award winning playwright, Murray Schisgal, till date.
Funny man
“His scripts are very poignant and at the same time very funny — his take on life is very interesting and very real — even though they are absurd comedies,” shares Mike, as he also talks about how the rehearsals began about 45 days ago and were gruelling. “We are doing two plays and have to deal with two separate sets of actors — so rehearsals starts at around 5.30 in the evening and go on till about 10.30 pm.” We are told to expect conventional box sets — a different set for each play, “I did that just to reinforce the location of the play and heighten the experience for the audiences.”
Usual suspects
The cast line-up has familiar and popular names. The first one, Fragments h a s G i b r a n O s m a n , S a r v e s h Sridhar, Prashanth Oliver and Anu Bhaskaraman, while The Tiger will see Roshan Poncha and Mike himselfon stage. “The cast members of both plays are easily some of my favourite performers and have been involved in numerous Boardwalkers’ productions. They are very dedicated and very committed to the craft. They work hard and are extremely talented. I have been working with some of the actors for almost two decades now — they know what I am looking for — and I know their full potential.” When we ask Mike what he will be doing next, he lets on that, “It will be a musical — a toss-up between — Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street — or back to Jesus Christ Superstar!” We are rooting for both. Entry restricted to 16 years and above.
Tickets at INR 300. On July 23 and 24 at 7 pm at the Alliance Française of Madras.