CHENNAI: Theatre is best enjoyed when it is performed in the open. It makes the audience connect with the actors better and travel with them. So, the pleasing ambience of an open theatre, surrounded by greenery, at the MGR Janaki School in Saligramam, perfectly set the mood for the play, Kichaga Vadham. De Vriksha’s second production, the play was based on an incident from the Mahabharata and drew a large number of arts enthusiasts. According to the story, when Kichaga, the queen’s brother sets out to ravage Draupadi, Bheema saves her. The incident occurs when the Pandavas undergo a series of trials and tribulations after they lose in the game of dice. fter the vanavasam, their exile into the forest, they are required to live in cognito, accompanied by sage Thowmiyar, during the Agyathavaasa period. They take refuge in the kingdom of Virudunagar where Yudhishtra plays counsellor to the king, Kangan; Bheema plays a cook, Vallan; Arjuna plays a eunuch dance master, Brahannalai; Nakula plays a horse-keeper, Thamakkiranthi and Sahadeva plays a cowherd, Thanthiribalan. Draupadi becomes Sairenthiri — a dasi to the queen.Written by N Muthuswamy, founder and director Koothu-P-Pattarai, the hour-long play was filled with action and thrill and brought forth interesting elements from the legendary epic. Directed by G Sreedevi, the introduction and establishment of characters in the very first scene of the play, crisply set the tone of the plot. Through Thowmiyar, one is led into the play as it unfolds. Draupadi seeks refuge in Bheema, who kills Kichaga. She also cries out to Surya, the sun god, to save her from Kichaga. Simple props like a swing, a garden bed with artificial flowers and a temporary fountain, added elegance to the play. The soothing beats of the mridangam in the background and soft lighting, complimented the ambience. The actors displayed skill in stunts and fight sequences taught to them by Ganesh. I Vishwak, who played Arjuna and A Sultan who played Bheema, put forward memorable performances. L Ramkumar, as the scornful Kichaga, gave a powerful performance. The use of contemporary language and a street theatre format to present a historic event was an innovative idea.
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