Children of gated community in Chennai stage play with elan

The in-house musical production in Chennai is a massive tribute to Muthuswami Dikshitar

At the time of this article going to print, a stage was getting ready at Ragamalika Apartments in Mandaveli. On December 3 around 7.30 p.m., the children from the community were using an opportunity to showcase their talent, thanks to a musical play titled “Fort St. George’il Muthuswamy Dikshitar”.

Conceptualised as part of a pre-Marghazi event, the play is a tribute to renowned poet and composer Muthuswami Dikshitar.

Directed by Hetal Somasundaram, the play highlights the Nottuswaras, a special set of 39 compositions of Muthuswami Dikshitar and how they came to be.

With a cast of more than 50 children from the apartment, the youngest being a four-year-old, work on this production has been on for over two months. Children of parents and many other well-wishers chipped in.

The musical is masterfully knitted together, traversing between the 19th century and current day.

The production was marked by well-constructed dialogues. Nottuswarams were sung to the accompaniment of the piano. There were also solo instrumental performances to go with it. The cast danced to Irish tunes. Even a marching band, led by a band leader who played the recorder, was part of the show.

The musical was highly entertaining, with my favourite part being the lively music classes held at Ragamalika.