MACBETH AT LORETO LUCKNOW
At the onset,my apologies,for being late,which was due to many reasons.Besides being busy ,had been out of Lucknow several times in recent past,but above all was suffering from a major Writer’s Block!
It was a real double treat ,when lucknow staged two English plays in one month,Unfaithfully yours by ACTORS and then MACBETH,by TALL ( Teachers Association of Loreto ,Lucknow ) I bought the ticket well in advance,lest I miss,seeing it,and waited anxiously for the day
Watched the play with mixed emotions.Was feeling really great,visiting Loreto,and that Auditorium,after many years,probably decades.( last being in 74 ) I not only have great fondness for the school,but have special attachment ,with that auditorium,where I made my stage debut,in 65,almost 45 years ago.Theatre at Loreto was really active in those days,and there was something or the other,going on,round the year.We had permanent stage props,several backdrops, and a large wardrobe with a wide range of costumes.Their were two permanent tailors,who use to stitch and alter dresses and curtains etc for the performances.After leaving school,I did continue to go for plays,whenever I could,and last was in 1975 ( I think it was The Circle ) I really felt great,sitting in that auditorium,after so long a time,and even though I was alone,I had no time to feel lonely as I was continuously thinking of the past,and the plays that I had seen there.At the same time I felt a little sad too,as nothing seemed to have changed.Infact the furniture in the auditorium ,had been replaced,by chairs of inferior quality.I was expecting the auditorium and the stage,to have improved,over the years,befitting the expected changes in the auditorium of the leading convent school of the city,to keep abreast with the changing times
Watching a play,is always a treat for me,and that too in your old school,couldn’t have asked for more.But was disappointed a bit.The play,Macbeth,a farce revolved around a scenario,where during the staging of Macbeth,everything goes wrong,including an accident of the actor doing Lady Macbeth,compelling the male director to pitch in for that role .The play somewhere missed out ,in bringing out the comedy and the much desired impact.Old fashioned start,improper sound and light effects,in appropriate costumes,lack of coordination , average acting and an overall casual attitude contributed in making the performance,deplete of the essentially required flow and entertainment
I may have sounded harsh,but having said that,I would like to compliment the complete team,for their effort in this maiden venture,and their enthusiasm,to put up the play,in a short period,in spite of their busy schedules,and duel responsibility of college and home.Above all,they were handicapped by the poor audiovisuals of the auditorium.
But I still enjoyed those two hours ,and would look forward to more performances,in that hall.which is so close to my heart.
Sanjay Kapoor , Lucknow