GHALIB (Musical Play) September 4, 2008

PIERROT’S TROUPE Presents

GHALIB (A Musical Dance Drama)
September 4 (Thurs), 7.30 pm, SHRI RAM CENTRE, Mandi House

Script and Direction: Dr. M. Sayeed Alam
Cast – Tom Alter, Niti Phool, Vijay Gupta, Anju Chabbra etc.
Duration- 1.45 hrs

This play is all about an intriguing man named Mirza
Asadullah Khan Ghalib -- a master yet a rundown poet, a
privileged yet a pitiable elite, an extravagant yet a poor noble,
a devout yet a self effacing lover, an irreverent yet a pious
husband and a self-seeking yet an altruistic person.

This is what one comes across while watching the 70 year old Ghalib
(Tom Alter) narrating the memoirs of his life to his first biographer Maulana Altaf Hussein Hali.

He in his inimitable style punched with humor and satire talks about Ghalib the (talented) child; Ghalib the (carefree) young man; Ghalib the (matured) middle aged: His wife (Umrao Begum), a God fearing lady wedded to man who dared God: His family that got reduced to two from seven in a very short span of time: His deranged brother, shot dead as a rebel by Britons in 1857: His devout servants, twenty one in total: His lady love (Mughol Jan), who committed suicide: His futile attempts to secure a dignified position in Mughol Darbar, and also the professorship in Delhi College (now Zakir Hussain College): His contemporaries – virtually a long list -- Mir Taqi Mir, Nazeer Akbarabadi, Zauq, Bahadur Shah Zafar, Aish, Zauq, Hali, Daagh, Har Gopal Tufta, Munshi Shiv Naraian, Sir Ross, Thompson, Col Brown etc.

In the process, he dispels myths about his rivalry with Zauq; about his love for wine (and women), about his role in 1857 etc. (Unfortunately, these myths still persist).

At the core of the play are Ghalib’s Ghazals, recited, sung and performed (in dance form); including a good number of them hitherto unheard.

Last but not the least, the play is a Pierrot’s Troupe production--- the theater company credited with re-discovering the genre of ‘bio (graphical) drama’: Maulana Azad, K.L.Saigal, Begum Akhtar, Ghalib in New Delhi etc.

Tickets: Rs. 500/-, Rs 300/- Rs. 200/- & Rs. 100/- available at Shri Ram Centre from September 2 (11am to 6pm) and on the show day. For details, Tele Booking, Bulk Booking Contact: 9810255291, 9810460366, 011-40506826, 011-29944635, [email protected], [email protected] AND/OR www.bookmyshow.com/Plays and/or 39895050.Also visit our site www.pierrotstheatre.com

Official Website: http://pierrotstheatre.com