Rehearsals are on for Antony Soudamini

Antony Firingee, the 19th century Indo-Portuguese kabiyal, and his wife Soudamini will take centre stage with Antony Soudamini at Madhusudan Mancha on August 8. Theatre group Purba Paschim is producing the two-hour play.

Directed by Soumitra Mitra, Antony Soudamini traces the journey of the talented poet-singer (made famous by Uttam Kumar in the film Antony Firingee) who left a mark with his evocative folk compositions in Bengali. While Anirban Bhattacharjee plays Antony, Gargi Roy Chowdhury will give him company as wife Soudamini.

Music is an important component of the production. Theatre enthusiasts can look forward to 18 songs during the “musical play”, scripted by Ujjwal Chattopadhyay.

“There are good Bengali plays being staged these days but I thought it was important to do a play like Antony Firingee, which dwells on Bengali literature and culture. The cast has good actors like Gargi, Anirban and Rajat (Gangopadhyay as Bhola Moira) and my main challenge was to utilise them to the best of my abilities,” said Mitra.

With limited information available on Antony Firingee, Mitra started his research around six months ago. “The play will also highlight how Soudamini had influenced Antony and encouraged his love for poetry and music. Since she played an important role in his life and the play deals with his entire journey, we are calling it Antony Soudamini,” he added.

Gargi said she was enjoying playing Soudamini. “There are a lot of shades in Soudamani. She is the one who, with love and respect, makes Antony a kabiyal. It’s like rediscovering the character every day. The play is very simple and entertaining.”

Priced Rs 60, Rs 100 and Rs 150, tickets are available at the venue from 1pm to 7pm.