We take a look at the most exciting prospects in the performing arts - from international musicians playing in the city to big-ticket dance and theatre shows
TM Krishna and P Rajagopal engage in artistic dialogue. Pic/Chirodeep Chaudhuri/first edition arts
Carnatic collaboration
Coming in: January 19
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Karnatic Kattaikkuttu is a first-ever coming together of two distinct art forms from the south — Carnatic music, and Kattaikkuttu, a Tamil language-based form of rural open-air ensemble theatre. This blend of classical-meets-folk has been conceptualised by legendary Kattaikkuttu director Perungattur P Rajagopal and performing arts scholar Hanne M de Bruin, and musicians TM Krishna and Sangeetha Sivakumar.
Dance for the senses
Coming in: February
Well-known Brussels-based American choreographer Meg Stuart will be in town with the contemporary dance performance Violet, which will be performed by her company, Damaged Goods. Being hailed as the most abstract piece in her long-standing career, the choreography blends movement with the physical senses.
Southern comfort
Coming in: January
For someone who straddles the worlds of Bollywood and indie music with equal élan, Benny Dayal's debut album with his band, Funktuation, has been a long time coming. But he's announced a January release for the record, titled Funk Katcheri. Dayal has stuck to his Tamil roots, since all the lyrics are in his native language. What's more, the band will be launching the album at Saarang, the annual festival at IIT Madras, on January 13.
Classical tunes in BKC
Coming in: April
Suits in the posh business district might want to give their regular after-hours plans a miss for this. First Edition Arts, a city-based performing arts company, is planning to launch after-hours concerts for classical music at office premises in Bandra Kurla Complex. To make the genre more accessible, they will also facilitate conversations on the same. The company has also roped in a group of younger musicians to create a syllabus involving the fundamentals of Indian classical music and the performing arts for children with learning disabilities.
Welcome to Jungle
Coming in: February
When Jungle first burst onto the scene with their eponymous debut album, they forced the world to sit up and take notice of their distinctive modern soul music. The seven-piece London-based act has a big-sound style that is best represented in tracks like Julia and Heavy, California, the latter appearing as a standout track from their 2018 record, For Ever. Now, the band is bringing their brand of funky, up-tempo and dance-worthy tracks for the next edition of Sula Fest. We hope to hear all seven members at the gig, keeping our fingers crossed that this is not a DJ set sort of gimmick.
A powerhouse returns
Coming in: January
When Bonobo made his India debut late in 2014, fans from across the country made a beeline for Mehboob Studio in Bandra. Such that there was a near stampede at the venue while others had to consign themselves to watching the proceedings on a big screen outside. You can expect a similar sort of frenzy when the British electronic music producer returns to India for a festival in Pune, even though he will be sharing the stage with a host of other big-ticket artistes, like American producer Marshmello.
Hedda Gabler meets Hardeep Singh Gill
Coming in: Third quarter
Known for her adaptation of iconic Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen's works, Ila Arun is ready to begin work on Ibsen's Hedda Gabler. The play will be adapted to a modern Indian set-up and will be called Hardeep Singh Gill. The eponymous protagonist would be a well-off woman based in Mumbai, who struggles to make her marriage work but keeps her emotions locked within. Arun is also working on her memoir, which she hopes to finish by the end of 2019.
Karl Marx in Versova
Coming in: August
While the philosophy of Karl Marx has been explored in several theatrical productions, few plays have delved into his relationship with his beloved wife Jenny, a theatre critic herself. Love and Capital, a Harkat Theatre production performed and directed by Satchit Puranik and Michaela Talwar, will give Mumbaikars a glimpse into their life together and her influence on his writing.
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