The Write Choice

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The return of Theatre Bombay

A dated photograph of a performance. Pic Courtesy/Theatre Group Bombay

Come July, and nostalgia will reign supreme on Mumbai’s theatre circuit. Led by Raell Padamsee, the seasoned icons of Theatre Bombay will return to the city’s stage. “The troupe was started back in the early 1940s by my uncle Sultan aka Bobby Padamsee. This was back in the day when Indian actors did not often take up English plays. He began to stage performances of the classics and Shakespearean works,” Raell recalled to this diarist. The name of the group paid homage to Lee Strasberg’s Group Theatre. Prominent personalities like Alyque Padamsee (right), Sabira Merchant, Farrokh Mehta, Gerson DaCunha were members of the group during its heyday. “As current president of the troupe, we thought it was the apt time to bring it back, and speak about its legacy to a new generation. We will open on July 12 with a reading of Shakespearean works at Darshan Apartments in Malabar Hill, followed by conversations about old memories,” she revealed. With an eye on the future, the theatremaker added, “We will also reach out to colleges to source new talent, host workshops and masterclasses in the near future.”