If you ever needed a review of a play from the conductor of the music behind it, just ask Mikel Toms about his work on Tom Stoppard’s Every Good Boy Deserves Favour. “It’s crazy and funny and dark,” he says over a Zoom call about the production being staged at the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) this week in Mumbai.
Directed by Bruce Guthrie, featuring music originally composed by Andre Previn, the 65-minute play in India sees Denzil Smith and Neil Bhoopalam in lead roles. But among the most important characters, in a rare instance, are the orchestra members themselves. Toms describes the play as a perfect mix of how a story and music together enhance the narrative. Set in Soviet Russia, the premise centers on the character of a dissident named Alexander Ivanov, who has no mental illness but is deemed so after speaking up against the regime. This Ivanov ends up sharing a cell with another Ivanov, who is a genuine schizophrenic imagining he’s in a symphony orchestra, as a triangle player no less.
Originally staged in November 2022, Every Good Boy Deserves Favour returns to NCPA this month and Toms talks about what makes the whole production so special, right from having the orchestra physically interact with characters on stage to the Soviet-era inspired music that he conducts. Excerpts:
What has your experience been with this particular production in the past and what’s changing with the upcoming run of shows?
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2023-Ausgabe von RollingStone India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent ? Anmelden
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 2023-Ausgabe von RollingStone India.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
Bereits Abonnent? Anmelden
Akshath Plots India Tour on the Back of Hit Song 'Nadaaniyan'
Mumbai artist's breezy love song took over streaming charts and short-video platforms
Aksh Baghla and 10CM Swap Languages in 'Spring Snow' Hindi Version
The Indian pop artist got the South Korean indie-pop artist to sing in Hindi on his hit song from the 'Lovely Runner, Part 8' soundtrack
Sukha Talks New EP '2003' and the Success of '8 Asle'
The Toronto-based Punjabi artist also looks back at hits like 'Sangdi' and the EP 'Undisputed'
Masrat Un Nisa on Channeling Raj Begum in Upcoming Film 'Songs of Paradise'
Inspired by the legendary Kashmiri voice Raj Begum, the singer talks about working with filmmaker Danish Renzu, who has also called on her for songs with his label Renzu Music
How Daira's 'Jaadoo Bastar' Tapped Into Chhattisgarh Tribal Stories
Mumbai rock band teamed up with artists including Lakheshwar Khudaram and Hindi lyricist Alok Ranjan Srivastava for five songs and a documentary that goes behind the scenes of the project
Peekay Embraces Djent on 'Merciless' and Plots an L.A. Move
The Hyderabad artist worked with guitarist Jonathan Edward and prog band Skyharbor's Keshav Dhar on the track
The Derelicts Take a 'Highway Drive' on Euphoric New Song
The Kochi disco-pop/electronica band introduce a science fiction-informed storyline for their first release since 2018
Sudan on How 'Happy Accidents' Led To His Genre-Defying Debut Album
Mumbai-based producer and multiinstrumentalist launched 'Sudan?' in August with a collab-heavy list of guests including Tejas, Frizzell D'Souza and more
Zubin Mehta Talks Symphony Orchestra of India Concerts
The Mumbai-born conductor leads a slightly offbeat selection for the SOI Autumn 2024 Season, taking place on Aug. 17 and 18, followed by Aug. 24 and 25
Ameya Saraf: 'I Wanted to Do Music for Life the First Time I Picked Up a Guitar'
Los Angeles-based Indian composer and producer worked his way from the rock scene to assisting pop artist Arjun Kanungo at the latter's Promethean Studio in Mumbai