Mellow Circle’s Christmas play is back. Here are the details
The Hindu
Titled The First Christmas, it is an original production by Michael Muthu
Drumroll please! The annual Mellow Circle Christmas play for a cause is back, after a pandemic-induced gap last year. While 2020 saw the production in the form of a movie, shot at 18 different locations, 2021 sees it return to the stage.
It took Michael Muthu six days and 54 A4 sheets to come up with this year’s original play, titled The First Christmas. “I have done two edits so far, and now I am going to be merciless and edit the play further,” he says in between rehearsals.
After doing plays for the Mellow Circle for 22 years now, Michael wanted to move away from the play’s well-loved Santa Claus and Christmas miracle formula. “This time it is darker.” he says, adding, “I wanted to do a story which explains why Christ was born, his journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, and what the circumstances were.”
Hampi, the UNESCO-recognised historical site, was the capital of the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565. Foreign travellers from Persia, Europe and other parts of the world have chronicled the wealth of the place and the unique cultural mores of this kingdom built on the banks of the Tungabhadra river. There are fine descriptions to be found of its temples, farms, markets and trading links, remnants of which one can see in the ruins now. The Literature, architecture of this era continue inspire awe.
Unfurling the zine handed to us at the start of the walk, we use brightly-coloured markers to draw squiggly cables across the page, starting from a sepia-toned vintage photograph of the telegraph office. Iz, who goes by the pronouns they/them, explains, “This building is still standing, though it shut down in 2013,” they say, pointing out that telegraphy, which started in Bengaluru in 1854, was an instrument of colonial power and control. “The British colonised lands via telegraph cables, something known as the All Red Line.”
The festival in Bengaluru is happening at various locations, including ATREE in Jakkur, Bangalore Creative Circus in Yeshwantpur, Courtyard Koota in Kengeri, and Medai the Stage in Koramangala. The festival will also take place in various cities across Karnataka including Tumakuru, Ramanagara, Mandya, Kolar, Chikkaballapura, Hassan, Chitradurga, Davangere, Chamarajanagar and Mysuru.