Ronald Harwood’s play, ‘Taking Sides,’ directed by Atul Kumar is set to take the stage at Mumbai’s Lé Chakallas Studios

by Suman Gupta

Ronald Harwood’s ‘Taking Sides’—directed by Atul Kumar—is all geared to go live on Mumbai’s stage at Lé Chakallas Studios, Andheri (W) from 10th February 2022 to 13th February 2022. 

While Harwood is a prominent British playwright, Atul Kumar is a theatre actor and director with more than 30 years of performance experience—making this stage play a profound exploration of music, art, politics and the grey area of morality that lies between them.

Through a denazification commission, confrontations and interrogations between prominent German conductor and composer Wilhelm Furtwängler (played by Atul Kumar) and Major Steve Arnold (played by Sukant Goel), ‘Taking Sides’ debates whether Furtwängler was a symbol of greatness in music and culture or a Nazi pawn whose concerts put a high-toned gloss on a murderous regime. 

Kumar’s immersive direction and the performance of the cast nudges you to question various ideological sides. At the same time, the English play sheds light on questions arising from a post-Nazi Germany that resonate with today’s contemporary society, such as – Are artists and their art political? Can art and politics be distinctly separated? 

The ensemble cast of ‘Taking Sides’ includes Sukant Goel, Atul Kumar, Mallika Singh, Richa Jain, Kenneth Desai, Kashin Shetty, Kashish Saluja, Pranjal Vaid, Vara Raturi, Kanchan Khilare, Naman Sheth, Rahul Kumar, Rahul Joglekar, Ranjeet Singh, Vicky Rana, Rajiv Gurung and Sukra Gurung. While the play has an 8 PM show on 10th and 11th February, it has two shows at 3 PM and 8 PM on 12th and 13th February. Its ticket is priced at ₹499 and can be booked here: https://insider.in/taking-sides-watch-live-in-mumbai-feb-2022/event

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