Merry Go Round

“All performances blend into one another and have one underlying theme so that they become one show rather than separate entities,” says Stefan Kaye of The Stiff Kittens,the organisers of the show. The Stiff Kittens was formed when Kaye’s music group Emperor Minge partnered with the Tadpole Repertory Company,a theatre group comprising Neel Chaudhuri,Kriti Pant and Momo Ghosh,among others. Though Kaye is hosting the shows,for July he has roped in Papa CJ,the Delhi-based comedian who was ranked the ninth most hilarious act in Last Comic Standing last year.

Contrary to what Helen’s gyrations would have you believe,cabaret includes theatre and comedy besides song and dance. “Cabarets are popular in Europe and the US and every foreigner in India wonders why there’s nothing like that here,” says Kaye.

The two-hour-long “Medicine Show”,which opened on May 3 at The Living Room,had as many as 12 acts and 25 performers. It is anything but easy to grab the audience’s attention in 10 minutes,but Redon managed perfectly—- he turned up in a towel and a cane lamp on his head. “There was also a pink butterfly on my back,” he laughs. The bizarre wins only if backed by superlative performances,so Redon and his partner Romain Luquiens let loose their vocals on some exotic songs from Cameroon,and had the audience singing along. Redon,whose father once took him to Moulin Rouge,now promises “another shocker”.

Chaudhuri explains that “the idea of a variety show doesn’t exist in Delhi’s cultural vocabulary as performances are neatly divided. There are separate platforms for experimental music and classical songs,puppetry and comedy. In a variety show,these elements come together. Since each new performer is an expert in his field,the energy level remains high.

The stress is on generating interest rather than being just hilarious. The Tadpole Repertory,for instance,presented a series of “short,dark sketches about failed suicide attempts”. “People find strangeness interesting. Even something nasty in a light way works. When people laugh at failed suicide attempts,something provokes them to think also,” adds Chaudhuri. Though he would like to keep the forthcoming performance under wraps,Emperor Minge is rehearsing more funky tracks while Chada plans to show how samba can be faster than you imagined. Among the other attractions are Piyush Wadhera’s off-kilter renditions of Bollywood hits, RJ Abish’s stand-up comedy and Latino songs of Wanny Angerer from Honduras.

“The Medicine Show” will be held on the first Sunday of every month. Next one is on June 7 at The Living Room. Time: 9pm. Cover charge: Rs 300.
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