Theatre bridges the gap between the artist and the audience. The emotions portrayed on the stage are transcended into the heart of the spectators. To enhance the experience to be delivered to the audience drama encapsulates various kinds of art forms are as dance and music, While majorly discussing music, it does play a prominent role in presenting the stories and the growth of theatre flourished over the ages.
We have come across various types of Operas and Musicals which owned the interest of large audiences… The Magic Flute and Seraglio by Mozart or some yesteryear musical classic hits like Fiddler on the Roof and My Fair Lady are some most celebrated examples. Inspired by the musical theatre concept many Indian theatre groups have tried to showcase such musical dramas. Recently a Musical Drama showcased the fairytale story of ‘The Beauty and The Beast’ by Disney.
But as we go in-depth into musical theatre and its concepts we can easily trace the existence of Musical theatre into the history of Indian Theatre. India was always known for its colorful culture and the depicts of Ramayana were performed as Ram Leela whereas the conversations and moments of Krishna were depicted as Raas Leela. Other than this we were blessed with a gem known as ‘Natya Shastra’ which is an ancient encyclopedia that included each and every element about arts, drama, music, and dance. The folk and the classical performing arts were all about portraying or reciting a story with music. Natya Sangeet was part of Indian culture where historical and mythological epic scriptures were showcased. In the 19th Century, it became prominent in Maharashtra with some great plays like Nal Damyanti, Sangeet Sharda, and many more…
Shripad Rajhans, popularly known as Bal Gandharva was recognized for his legendary singing style and captivating performance as a Natya Sangeetkaar (A person who performs musical theatre). There were some great theatre enthusiasts who created magic with their art along with music and poetry and delighted the audience with their craft.
In this era of technology where entertainment is found on mobile screens theatre is still surviving because of the passion it reflects in its audience. The question arises of whether musical theatre will thrive again to capture and conquer the hearts of the audiences…
Comments