Theatre doyen Vikash Khurana is back with his new presentation Purple Moon, which was staged at IMA hall, Nagpur on Saturday (repeat performance on Sunday, September 18, at 7pm). The play, staged by Stagecraft Theatre, is inspired by Tennessee Williams Pulitzer Prize winning play A Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Vikash, who’s known for his interesting adaptations of the classics, has again struck the chord with the audience with Purple Moon.

While Tauby Bhagwakar (Tarla Ben Parikh), Moiz Haque (Bhavesh Parikh), Radhika Joshi (Mandira Parikh), Shruti Mundada (Minal Parikh-Kapoor) and Raveesh Jaiswal (Girish Kapoor) have performed their well-etched characters with elan, Vikash Khurana (in the role of Vidyadhar Parikh) is a treat to watch.

About the play:

Purple Moon is the story of a Gujarati Business family in Juhu, Mumbai, confronted with simmering rivalry, tension, greed, lies, sexuality and death. The emotionally charged, powerful and shifting dynamics of the play traces the life of the Parikhs over the course of an evening. As they struggle to balance love and loathing, truth and lies, intimacy and bondage, they teeter close to the edge, veering now and again towards that thin line that divides us from insanity. The Parikhs are any family, every family, in one way or another.

Audiences review:

An avid theatre lover Sumati Agrawal says, I liked the performances by all the actors in the play. Characters have been created well, and I really liked the subtlety with which the play was executed. It wasn’t over the top and had a realistic orientation. Nagpur is not yet known for its theatre culture.  So, I feel we all should appreciate good plays, which are being staged here.

Fashion Designer Nikita Mhaisalkar, who’s also designed the costumes for the plays cast, says, The play was very intense. I really liked the way the actors played their characters. Vikash is a superb director and has been doing great stuff for Nagpur theatre. However, I’m disappointed with the lukewarm response that Nagpurians give to such a good theatre here. I feel Stagecraft should involve more and more people in their productions to spread awareness about theatre in Nagpur.

Takeaway from Purple Moon:

A perfect marriage of intense performances and realism!

Don’t Miss the repeat performance of the play today (Sunday, September 18 at 7pm) at IMA hall, Nagpur!

Photos by: Gursshheen Gahllen