The Good, the Bad and the Sholay (2015)
In this fast and ever-changing world, what is constant? What do we lose in the name of progress? And what happens when we finally let go?
The 1975 Bollywood classic Sholay, with its thrilling exploits of outlaw heroes and high-stakes emotion, provides the backdrop for this profoundly humorous coming-of-age story that chronicles Raghav’s journey from boyhood in the small Indian city of Ambala to the metropolis of Singapore.
From navigating a sense of home to finding where you belong in a globalised world, the trials of Raghav’s impending adulthood are brought to life by an ensemble cast that weave in and out of dozens of character in an arresting physical theatre performance full of warmth and wit.
The Good, the Bad and the Sholay originally premiered at the NUS Arts Festival 2011, as a Checkpoint Theatre and NUS Stage production, and was presented by NUS Centre for the Arts. It received three nominations at The Straits Times Life! Theatre Awards for Best Original Script, Best Director and Production of the Year. Playwright Shiv Tandan joins Huzir Sulaiman in directing this new staging that deftly captures the joys and sorrows of growing up and the changes that come with each stage of life.
Creative Team
- Playwright
Shiv Tandan
- Director
Shiv Tandan
Huzir Sulaiman- Cast
Chanel Ariel Chan
Chng Xin Xuan
Ghafir Akbar
Deborah Hoon
Kubhaer T. Jethwani
Thomas Pang
Pavan J. Singh
Julie Wee- Set Design
Mac Chan
Hay Teow Kwang- Lighting Design
Mac Chan
- Costume design
Laichan
- Hair and Makeup
IJJI7 Makeup
- Production Stage Manager
Hatta Sulaiman
- Producers
Claire Wong
Huzir Sulaiman
Reviews
- Press
Huzir [Sulaiman] and Shiv [Tandan] are alive to the old-fashioned nature of storytelling that animates the play and by coaxing fantastic performances from their actors and eschewing gaudy sets and design elements, they truly allow the narrative to shine. [...] "Dishkyaaoon" is a word we hear frequently in the narrative, approximating the sound of a gun going off in Bollywood films. In Checkpoint's luminous revival, it is also the sound of a theatre company at the height of its powers!
Crystalwords, SG
[The eight cast members] throw themselves with serious abandon into the intensely physical roles the play demands. [...] When they sing - a multiracial cast, in Hindi - it is with commendable poise and aching beauty.
The Straits Times, SG
A triumph of meta-storytelling. [...] The play feels as improbably baroque, operatic, mythic and masala as Sholay. And, like the movie, the play bears repeat viewings.
The Business Times, SG