Theatre in Bengal has enjoyed a plethora of experimentation over the last couple of centuries, while going through a process of evolution. Comedy — be it burlesque, farce, lampoon, satire or parody — played a major role on the Bengali stage. And music was the vehicle that carried forth the myriad emotions of the characters as well as the social messages or observations that the playwright had in mind. Rangaraser Manchagaan presented by Academy Theatre at Rabindra Sadan on December 28, 2006 attempted to trace this musical heritage through a well-chosen bunch of songs. The decadence and debauchery of the babus of 19th century Bengal were aptly portrayed through songs like Ajab shahar Kolketa; Ki bolili malini. The influence of European theatre orchestration and other popular cross-cultural trends are visible in this particular genre of music. The thoughtfully composed script by director Devajit Bandyopadhyay, and Riddhi Bandyopadyay’s confident and expressive rendition of the songs lent an archival quality to the programme.

The harmonious mix of dhol, keyboards and octapad, the use of ventriloquism, brilliant stage décor and lights by Khaled Choudhury and Soumendu Roy respectively, coupled with theatrically emotive readings by Sudipta Chakraborty, Kousik Sen and Paran Bandyopadhyay added a fair degree of visual pleasure that is associated with the stage.