Five Reasons to See … Kanjoos – The Miser
Kanjoos (Hindi for The Miser) sees Moliere’s classic comedy transported from 17th century France to modern India. Adapted by Hardeep Singh Kohli and Jatinder Verma (who also directs), it runs at Tara Arts until 13 October 2013.
1. Topical
Moliere’s classic play on the miserly is particularly of the moment, when the zeal of financiers selfishly accruing their stash dominates our lives.
2. Comic
The play is one of the great satirical comedies of world theatre, as we in turns laugh and gasp at the corrosive power of the love for cash.
3. A masala blending France, England and India
Hardeep Singh Kohli’s fizzing new adaptation transports Moliere’s French original to modern-day India – a society which unashamedly revels both in the power of money and in extreme austerity. The miser in this version full of “fizzing kundalinis” and “taut chakras”, holds up Gandhi as the paragon of austerity – “he lived on nuts alone and wore no deodorant”!
4. Brilliant ensemble, with live music
The company of nine brilliant performers – which includes Antony Bunsee in the title role along with Caroline Kilpatrick, Krupa Pattani and Sam Kordbacheh – features a trio of exceptional young musicians in singer Sohini Alam, composer Danyal Dhondy and percussionist Hassan Moyideen. They underscore the play with catchy tunes to help the actors deftly present this timely satire.
5. Indian heat
Claudia Mayer’s set and Howard Hudson’s lighting immerses the audience in the evocative heat and colour of India, experiencing life in the “haveli” (old house) of our Miser.
