DELHI
Music
Cuenta Cuentos
28 November
‘Cuenta Cuentos’ means storyteller in Spanish, and this young band,
comprising Nikhil Mawkin (drums, vocals, guitar), Shikhar Prasad (guitar), Sahil Warsi (double bass) and Parvati Krishnan (vocals), will play traditional Spanish tunes and some jazz standards.
8.30pm. Drift, Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44, Gurgaon (0124-2715000). Entry is free, but you will have to pay for the food.
Nils-Olav Johansen
1 December
Born in a little village called Bjugn in Norway in 1966, guitarist Johansen’s first musical loves were The Beatles, ABBA and Hawaiian records from his dad’s record collection. But by the age of 20, he was studying jazz at the conservatory in Trondheim. Influenced by artists such as jazz fusion guitarist Allan Holdsworth, Weather Report and even Stevie Wonder, his spacey guitar style has influences from such diverse places as the Balkans and Hawaii.
5.30pm. St Stephen’s College, University Enclave, North Campus, University of Delhi (27667271).
Dance
Kathak
29 November
We’ve heard of Kathak being mixed with several other dance styles: flamenco, contemporary, modern, even jazz and ballet. But a blend of Kathak and Zen movement is novel. Then again, Kolkata-based Padatik Dance Centre and its founder-director, Chetna Jalan, broke away from the traditional presentation format years ago and have little interest in conventional dance-dramas and narratives.
This fortnight, Padatik’s new hybrid production E-Mo-Ko (Who am I? in Korean) premieres in the Capital.
6pm and 7.30pm. Kamani Auditorium, 1, Copernicus Marg (23388084).
The Mystery of the
Pantomime Cat
28-29 November
Akvarious Productions adapts The Mystery of the Pantomime Cat, a Five Find-Outers and Dog mystery by Enid Blyton. Fatty (Kashin Shetty), Larry (Adhaar Khurana), Daisy (Dilshad Edibam), Pip (Ali Fazal), Bets (Preetika Chawla) and Buster the dog (Hussain Dalal) encounter a mystery during their school holiday. A theatre company’s safe is robbed and all the clues point to Boysie (Pawan Uttam), who plays the pantomime cat. The race is on to solve the mystery before the policeman, Mr Goon, apprehends an innocent man. Using very few props, the play manages to evoke a feeling of a sleepy British town. As with most children’s plays, this one has lots of music, dancing and jokes. But what sets it apart is the simplicity of the story. This is one play that won’t have children going “Gah!”, as Mr Goon is often known to say. For the 7+ age group.
The play is directed by Meera Khurana and written by Akarsh Khurana and Purva Naresh.
Epicentre, Apparel House, Sector 44, Gurgaon (0124-2715000). Tickets, Rs200, available at the venue. For timings and other details, call 0124-2715200.
MUMBAI
Film
Le Prophète (The Prophet)
3 December