![]() Shakespeare, for instance, no longer inspires playwrights to touch the heights of farce. In the years since the price of nuts skyrocketed, much has changed in Parsi theatre. Article by Pooja Pillai | The Indian Express “Pistachios have become so expensive now,” he says, shaking his head ruefully. All he knew was that once the curtains went up, it was time to sit back and enjoy the histrionics, while munching on salted pistachios sold at the theatre. I didn’t even realise that what I was watching was based on Shakespeare,” he says. The 84-year-old says he doesn’t recollect which play it was. ![]() Perched on the edge of a sofa, the Mumbai theatre veteran is trying to give us an idea of the treatment that Shakespeare would have once got in Parsi theatre - lots of songs and generous dollops of irreverent Parsi humour. ![]() A fan whirs over us, but apart from its soft susurration, the only sound in the room is that of Sam Kerawala singing, “Tu kyaan gayi mari, wahli? (Where have you gone, my dear?)”. The curtains of the spare, elegant sitting room have been drawn against the April sun, and the noise of traffic on the busy Veer Nariman Road is muted. The result was King Lear as comedy and a farce called Hamlet No Omelette. Parsi theatre was the first to realise the full commercial potential of Shakespeare’s works. ![]()
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