Lockdown in play

Lillete Dubey is back on stage with a new play that brings to life stories from author and friend Shobhaa De’s book

One of the most appealing aspects of theatre, according to actor-director Lillete Dubey, is the sense of shared humanity — stepping into the shoes of a person, experiencing what they go through, and then fleshing out that experience for the audience to relate to. Ahead of the premier of her new play, Lockdown Liaisons, on November 19, the artistic director of The Primetime Theatre Company, is thus understandably excited to be back on stage, embracing and recreating the joy of shared humanity. “We’re opening a new play after two years, and I’m happy it’s about such a momentous time in history,” Dubey shares about the play that’s based on five stories from author Shobhaa De’s eponymous book.

Dubey, who has directed and produced the production, tells us it’s good to have live shows back. “I didn’t do a lot of stuff on the theatre front [during the pandemic]. I wasn’t one of those who went the online way because my heart was just not in it. I strongly believe that live connection is the essence of theatre,” she asserts.

Shobhaa De

The production is one of many firsts. De was one of the first to write about the lockdown while we were still experiencing it last year; the play is De’s first foray into theatre; and it is the first time the author and the theatremaker are collaborating. “When Shobhaa was launching the book last year, she got a couple of people to do the reading, including Ira [her daughter and actor] and I. We read two stories, and the response was tremendous. I thought the stories were like a recording of this unique time in history,” Dubey reveals. Soon after, she told the author that she wanted to adapt the stories into a play, and De was on board. “Lillete is a friend I admire and adore. Since this is a first for me, I was very excited about the collaboration. Lillete comes with a formidable reputation as an actor and producer. I’m overwhelmed by the positive response we’ve received after the announcement,” De tells us, adding, “I may just faint on opening night!” 

The play will be presented in the form of five monologues, performed by Dubey, Ira, and Joy Sengupta. The stories — Vodka and no Tonic, Leaving, A Whiff of Eternity, A Quest Ends and Lockdown Funeral — allow the audience to look back at the lockdown through different lenses. There’s a couple struggling with their marriage locked up at home; a bank employee and his wife trying to have a child; a migrant torn between returning to his family and a construction worker he’s in love with; an independent woman reeling from a break-up with her girlfriend while being compelled to move in with her parents; and an elite, Miss Havisham-like character who has to face the commoner woman her husband once left her for at his funeral. Looking back, De remembers she found solace while penning the stories. “Death and despair stared us in the face, and our familiar coping mechanisms no longer worked. And as a chronicler of our times, it was important not to let this momentous calamity pass without an appropriate creative response. The stories emerged organically out of that state of panic... Through varied ‘voices’ in the stories, I found my own.” 

Lillete Dubey

Dubey shares that she’s largely remained true to De’s original tales, except in the case of Leaving, where she’s gone beyond the script to capture the migrants’ crisis. It will be performed in Hindi, and the rest in English. After an opening at G5A, and then shows at NCPA Experimental, they’ll be off to Baroda, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Delhi and Gurugram. “Reliving the stories was like going into the minds of different people and how they experienced the lockdown. I’m sure everyone will relate to something or the other in the stories, because that’s the interesting part about theatre — the shared humanity,” she signs off. 

On November 19 to 21 at G5A; 
November 27 and 28 at NCPA Experimental 
Log on to in.bookmyshow.com 
Cost Rs 1,000

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