Pune: Theatre veteran Lillete Dubey 's play Dance Like a Man stands as a testament to enduring storytelling. The production is set to be staged on Nov 17 at the Nehru Memorial Hall in Camp. It's remarkable that 30 years after its debut, the play's exploration of gender roles and societal expectations continues to resonate with audiences.
Mahesh Dattani 's masterful script tackles the complex intersection of art, gender and tradition through Bharatanatyam , while Dubey's direction maintains its sharp edge. What started as a bold experiment in the early 1990s blossomed into a theatrical phenomenon, with over 680 performances to its credit and showing no signs of slowing down. "When I started The Primetime Theatre Company, I specifically wanted to do Indian plays in English.
Original works, and not adaptations, that captured how India's urban population speaks and thinks," said Dubey, who produces and directs the play, while also starring in it as Ratna. "People tried to talk me out of it, asking who would be interested in a play about a man doing Bharatanatyam?" Dubey said, with a knowing smile. "I believed if it impressed me, there would be others who would connect with it.
All I had to do was convey my passion for the play through my work so it reaches the audience," she added. Time proved her right. The production garnered multiple generations of viewers — from those who have watched it in their youth to their children, who are discovering it.
The themes of artistic passio.