Chennai-based theatre group Perch’s latest production Ms.Meena has all the elements of a good play – kind of like a Bollywood movie that can make you laugh, cry, think (well sometimes!), and purely entertain.

Ms.Meena is a hilarious adaptation of “The Visit,” a play by Friedrich Durrenmatt, a Swiss-German playwright. The play was staged at the Museum Theatre in Chennai last month. Adapted by Rashmi Ruth Devadasan and directed by Rajiv Krishnan, Ms.Meena was specially commissioned for the 2010 Hindu Metro Plus Theatre Festival. The production is quite a dynamic amalgam of street theatre, improv, a musical, mimicry, and other art forms.

The plot unfolds in Pichampuram, a decaying mythical village, where the protagonist, Ms. Meena, now a famous Tamil film heroine, hails from and has returned after years of being away, building a hugely successful career in the limelight. Ms Meena now returns to revive her dying hometown with her riches much to the delight of the impoverished villagers who celebrate and glorify her return, but with a caveat – her lover of many years ago who jilted her has to pay with his life in return for her generosity. And in the narration of this linear plot, there is much flashback recaptured under the pretext of also making a biopic of her life that makes Ms.Meena a fascinating complex drama in the true sense.

Overall a big thumbs up for the play - with a neatly structured narrative including a story within a story. A highly versatile and entertaining cast ably switches roles, accents and language, sing and dance with easy efficiency, use various random items as props (from plastic sheet waterfalls to a Ganesha idol made of sunglasses and a scarf!). Lead actor Karuna Amarnath plays Ms.Meena with finesse, as though the role was scripted for her. She plays the vulnerable woman waiting for her lover, a powerful star who grows to dizzying heights of unstoppable popularity, the angry jilted lover and the coy seductress with aplomb.

Some critiques - while there is rarely a dull moment or awkward pause in the play, it could have been a bit shorter than its length of nearly two hours. Also as a bilingual production, Ms.Meena’s humor can be fully cashed in for those who are equally versatile in both languages.

Don’t miss the play if they stage it in your city. For more information about Perch’s upcoming productions and for the occasional theatre workshop they organise, visit www.perch.co.in

By Preeti Mangala Shekar