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<\/picture><\/div>\nHitler\u2019s favourite conductor<\/i>.\u00a0<\/p>\n
No one must have had a moniker so divisive like that of the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, Wilhelm Furtwangler. It is this very divisiveness or dichotomy that forms the core of the play Taking Sides<\/i> that comes to Chennai after an almost 50-show run around the country. The visual narrative follows the record of the post-War interrogation of Furtwangler by a US Army major, Steve Arnold, who in his past civilian life was an insurance investigator. Furtwangler\u2019s loyalty remains to his music, as the conflict of what is right and wrong hangs heavy.<\/p>\n
Director Atul Kumar thinks there is no better time to stage a play of this kind. Atul\u2019s first interaction with the play happened a few years back, when he chanced upon a film by Hungarian filmmaker Istvan Szabo, based on the original play, Taking Sides<\/i>. \u201cI remember telling myself that I should someday pick up the script and take it to stage. It\u2019s just that the times we live in now, sadly, makes the script extremely relevant,\u201d says the director. <\/p>\n
The play, which took shape during the pandemic, simply talks about freedom and zooms in on the arguments that form around arts and politics during times of oppression. \u201cIt questions how, at the time of fascism, how one maintains one\u2019s morality. Where does one draw a line?\u201d adds Atul.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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<\/div>\n\nA still from Taking Sides by Atul Kumar
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\nSpecial Arrangement\n<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n The questions that are dealt with the play are very personal for Atul. \u201cI have always done theatre that is loud, robust and over-the-top. Whether it\u2019s a comedy or a tragedy, it\u2019s always been larger than life. That\u2019s my expression, and physical culture has been my practise.\u201d <\/p>\n This time, however, he wanted to explore the classical way of doing theatre, \u201cwhere the concentration is on the word and the argument. So we have done a play that is realistic for the first time in my 25 years of career,\u201d he says with a laugh. The play is normally performed in traverse (where the audience sits on either side of the performers at the centre) at alternative venues. \u201cI really wanted my audiences to be divided. I wanted to create this dichotomy even on how they view it.\u201d (In Chennai, however, this format will not be followed as the venue is not conducive to it.)<\/p>\n Though the script has been edited for time, it is not an adaptation. The historical references that may be lost on the audience have been researched thoroughly.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe cast argued, talked, and got in literature and journalistic references and discussed on which side we would stand. Nobody took a clean stand. We realised that we must keep the audience oscillating, and they must leave the auditorium arguing for ideas and concepts,\u201d says Atul who plays Furtwangler. The external view of whether the character is loyal to Nazi Germany forms his conflict.\u00a0<\/p>\n \nA still from Taking Sides by Atul Kumar <\/div>\n The production first took form over Zoom calls during the period between the major lockdowns of the pandemic.\u00a0And so, the play has travelled through strange times, says Atul. The audience\u2019s reaction too has also evolved over the years. \u201cPeople are now a lot more vocal about things and are accepting of this play. We feel less scared to say the things that we say,\u201d he concludes.\u00a0<\/p>\n Taking Sides will be staged at Medai, Alwarpet on October 19, 7.30 pm. Tickets are on BookMyShow at\u20b9499. <\/i><\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/th-i.thgim.com\/public\/incoming\/u74mwh\/article68751816.ece\/alternates\/FREE_1200\/1694464976123-2.jpg\" "\\"A")
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\nSpecial Arrangement\n<\/p>\n