Combine a legendary theatre director and a veteran actor in a William Shakespeare adaptation, and you know it will end up as a classic itself.
Zia Mohyeddin’s directorial and Khalid Ahmed’s adaptation makes King Lear (in Urdu) the best way to end the year 2019. Not only are the two veterans on top of their game, their script and direction mold up and coming youngsters into actors who would have made the great playwright proud.
Let’s go through four reasons why the play is a must-watch and how it is superior to many plays staged in Pakistan:
Khalid Ahmed Mesmerizes The Audience As King Lear
Veteran TV, film and theatre actor Khalid Ahmed is undoubtedly one of the best performers around; be it training most of the thriving actors of today or directing plays like Bedroom Conversations, he keeps himself busy with quality productions. And when there is a difficult role that no actor wants to perform, Khalid Ahmed chips in and excels.
What role could be more challenging than playing King Lear in Urdu, who else would have done it better than the person who translated the Shakespearean tragedy into the local language? Yes, Khalid Ahmed does a marvelous job as the King who loses everything but doesn’t give up till the very end; whether the scene is comic or tragic, Khalid Ahmed towers above all the actors.
Literally speaking, he keeps the spotlight on himself no matter who is on the stage with him and even makes you laugh in some of the scenes, although he makes you cry a lot more. And his script was to the point as well, making the two and a half hour play much more interesting than any film in the cinema at the moment!
NAPA Alumni in important roles
We all know that most of the actors performing on TV and films have been trained at NAPA and have spent time under Zia Mohyeddin, Khalid Ahmed, Rahat Kazmi, and Arshad Mahmud. What we don’t know is that when these very actors get to perform on stage, they take it like a duck takes to water.
Fawad Khan who plays the loyal Kent appears as a changed man when in disguise; he doesn’t make the audience feel for one moment that he is the same man who was banished from the kingdom for standing up for what’s right; same goes for Nazrul Hasan and Paras Masroor who despite doing TV and films excel on stage.
Paras as he illegitimate Edmund is not only shrewd but also handsome enough to make two princesses fight over him; he also discredits his brother Edgar (Nazrul Hasan) who escapes to the jungle as an insane beggar only to return later in the play to avenge his father, their father played by the talented Meesam Naqvi.
The play was also a great opportunity for Mira Sethi to show her talent on stage and she does a great job, considering she was paired with NAPA alumni Shabana Hasan, Natalia Karanji and Farhan Alam. For Farhan Alam, it was a different ball game for he looked nothing like the bungling Chacha Chakan, his last stage appearance also at NAPA during the children’s festival.
Here he comes out as a nobleman who stands for the right instead of the might and stays there till the end. Raheel Siddiqui’s jester also has moments of brilliance, and his mamoon garnered laughs and applause from the attendees.
Zia Mohyeddin’s brilliant direction
For 150 minutes, the audience was transferred back into the days of King Lear and saw him lose everything from their own eyes; he trusted his two daughters but found true respect and love in the one he banished; he also did the same with his faithful friend only to see him return in disguise doing what he did best; he trusted the wrong people despite others advising him not to and succumbs to an end that he should have seen coming, but didn’t.
Each and every minute of the play was well crafted and the credit must be given to Zia Mohyeddin, the veteran theatre actor and director who has been an inspiration to all. Despite being in his 80s, he still has the energy of an experienced campaigner who wants his disciples to do it once, but do it right. Neither does the audience get bored during the play nor the actors whose energy level was at its peak for the duration of the play.
An international level production that raises the bar
William Shakespeare’s King Lear has been performed all over the world in many different languages but every now and then, an experienced director and a gifted writer join hands to raise the bar. Zia Mohyeddin and Khalid Ahmed were aided by their backstage team that kept the audience entertained with the lighting, sound effects, and background that stayed relevant, whether it is a scene inside the castle or beyond.
When it was pouring on stage, the audience could feel the rain; when thunder was wreaking havoc, it unnerved the audience and when lights shone on one actor on stage, it illuminated the audience’s attention, making them feel happy or sad, whatever the scene demanded. Such theatre plays with international level production can be the answer to many of the problems we face as an entertainment-deprived nation.
The play will not only make the audience understand that the game has evolved but also enable theatre actors, writers, and directors to challenge themselves and make their next project better than they first visualized it.
King Lear will be performed at NAPA’s Zia Mohyeddin Auditorium till 29th December 2019
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