Shakespeare on the move

The Handlebards return to Chennai with their unique version of Twelfth Night

It was the Bard’s greatest love story, performed in a way the audience had never seen before, with music, song and props that made us laugh out loud. Romeo and Juliet were delightfully portrayed in a way that highlighted their (hidden) comic capabilities. UK-based theatre troupe, The HandleBards, were a hit on their last visit to India a few months ago, and with their new performance on Sunday, they bring Twelfth Night to the stage.

Indian connect

Actor Lucy Green returns with three of her male counterparts instead of the all-woman group that staged their earlier show here. “We found that as a country and a people, India loves Shakespeare. Audiences are astute, they get our style of comedy and they understand the Shakespearean language more than other audiences we’ve had across the world,” she says.

After taking Romeo and Juliet to Serbia and Bangkok, Twelfth Night is just at the beginning of a massive international tour that will see it go to Myanmar, Malaysia, Singapore and Australia.

Stage presence

With a cast of four employing their classic quick changing of characters, producer Tom Dixon says that the identical twins performance is something to watch out for. “The play is peppered with original live music that will have you stamping your feet and shedding a tear. We haven’t done our job properly if you don’t leave the play saying to your neighbour, ‘If music be the food of love, play on,’” he quips, adding, “The themes and stories in Shakespeare’s plays are just as relevant today as they were 500 years ago. We aim to make the shows accessible and fun because we think the stories of love are timeless.”

 

Open air audiences

The troupe tests out their plays on the road — quite literally, by biking across the UK with new productions. “The beauty of a HandleBards show is that they can be performed in the gardens of a stately home, in a bicycle yard or in a traditional theatre; we don’t need to change much to adapt to each setting. The only shame is that there will be no picnics for us to steal indoors,” laughs Dixon.

This year they will be performing Much Ado About Nothing and The Tempest. He says, “Hopefully we’ll bring these shows back to Chennai — if you’ll have us?”

Lasya The Culture Hub and Crea-Shakthi present The HandleBards production of Twelfth Night at Janakiammal Auditorium, Thoraipakkam on January 27 at 6 pm. Tickets at ₹300 and ₹500 on in.bookmyshow.co