Baroque music, world photography and stand-up comedy to jazz up your weekend

Now that your World Cup plans are effectively quashed for this weekend, here are a few cultural recommendations to indulge in instead

MUMBAI

Theatre

Wedding woes: Girish Karnad’s comic-drama Wedding Album looks at the traditional Indian wedding in a globalised and technologically-driven India. It appears at first that joyful members of the clan have gathered to celebrate but as the play proceeds, the suspicions, jealousies and frustrations behind the smiles come to light. Directed by Lillete Dubey, the play features Utkarsh Mazumdar, Ira Dubey, Deepika Amin, Maneesh Verma and others.

Where: Tata Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai
When: March 28, 7 pm
Tickets: Rs 225-750

Rock messiah: Catch a re-make of the musical spectacle Jesus Christ Superstar, directed by Alyque Padamsee and choreographed by Shiamak Davar. The rock musical based on the story of Jesus Christ will have 1974 cast member Devieka Bhojwani returning to the stage. It also includes two different interpretations performed by two parallel casts.

Where: NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai
When: March 28-29, 8 pm

Music

Brahms’s Requiem by Paranjoti Academy Chorus 

Conductor: Coomi Wadia

Soprano: Joanne D’mello

Baritone: Rahul Bharadwaj

Piano: Paul Stewart and Parvesh Java

When: March 27 at 7 pm

Where: Tata Theatre, NCPA

Film

Lady of the lake: NCPA and The Metropolitan Opera (New York) will present a filmed version of the opera La donna del lago by Gioachino Rossini. The voices of Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez will bring to life the story based Sir Walter Scott’s novel. DiDonato plays the role of the ‘lady of the lake’, while Flórez is the king who pursues her persistently.

Where: Godrej Dance Theatre, NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai
When: March 30-31, 6 pm

Francophonie week: As part of week-long celebrations by Francophone countries, which share French as a common language, watch screenings of Swiss, Belgian and French-Canadian cinema. The films include Switzerland’s ‘Recycling Lily’ and ‘Tableau Noir’, ‘Tango Libre’ and ‘Les Barons’ from Belgium, ‘Qu’est ce qu’on fait ici?’ from Canada and France’s Sur le chemin de l'école.  

Where: Alliance Francaise auditorium, New Marine Lines, Mumbai
When: March 23-27 and 30, 6.30 pm

Art

Tribute to Howard Hodgkin: CSMVS, Mumbai has collaborated with Tate, London, to present a solo exhibition of paintings by artist Howard Hodgkin. The modern art gallery will lend two major works by Hodgkin from its repertoire - ‘Rain’ (1984-89) and ‘Come into the Garden, Maud’ (2000-03). The exhibition, Tate’s first in partnership with an Indian museum, is said to build on the gallery’s recent focus on modern and contemporary art in India. Hodgkin has visited Indian routinely since 1964 and the Indian landscape and seas are among his sources of inspiration.

Where: Jehangir Nicholson Gallery, CSMVS, Fort, Mumbai
When: Until April 15, 10:30 am – 6 pm

World Photography since the 1970s: ‘Time Present: Photography from the Deutsche Bank Collection’ will include a set of around 70 works by international artists offering a global view of photography as an art form. The exhibition comes to the city after its Singapore opening, following which it will travel to Tokyo and Sydney. It aims to offer insights into how photography has changed since the 1970s until today.

Where: National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA), Fort, Mumbai
When: Until May 10

DELHI

Music

The soul of baroque music: The Neemrana Music Foundation and Akadêmia Ensemble are joining forces again, two years after presenting the opera Orfeo: Crossing the Ganges, to bring Vivaldi's most famous compositions to music lovers in the city. The Four Seasons and two major vocal pieces Gloria and Magnificat will be conducted by Françoise Lasserre. The event is co-presented by the European Union.

When: March 29 and 31 at 6.30 pm
Info: Passes are available at the Neemrana shop, Khan Market

Film

Cinematic Saturday: PVR Cinemas is screening War Horse this weekend, based on the novel by Michael Morpurgo, a story of a young boy called Albert and his beloved horse, Joey, who has been requisitioned to fight for the British in World War I. A remarkable tale of courage, loyalty and friendship, War Horse features ground-breaking puppetry work by South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company, which brings breathing and galloping horses to life on stage.

Where: PVR Cinemas, check www.pvrcinemas.com for schedule
When: March 28

Talk

The dancer and the dance: Marking World Dance Day, India Habitat Centre in collaboration with Kri Foundation will be hosting a talk titled From Meneka To Mallika: The Journey Of Dance In Indian Films by Ratnottama Sengupta, a film critic and curator. The discussion will be chaired by Dr Ileana Citaristi, Odissi danseuse. They will discuss the role of dance in Indian cinema and its evolution over the time.

Where: India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi
When: March 30, 7 pm

BENGALURU

Art

The History of France, through its advertisements: Advertising does not just recycle the story to ensure the promotion of consumer products; its own discourse is largely dependent on the vagaries of historical events. Browse through 150 promotional materials (posters, advertisements in the press, beverage or cheese labels…) selected from the rich collection of the Forney library and trace the history of France through a funny gallery.

Where: Alliance Francaise, Thimmaiah Road, Vasanth Nagar, Bengaluru
When: On till March 31

Theatre

Corruption and mistaken identities: Dario Fo's Accidental Death of an Anarchist returns to the stage in the adaptation Bechara Maara Gaya. The play, set in north India, focuses on the custodial death of a prisoner accused in a train bombing case. An impostor then enters posing as the presiding judge. The cases of mistaken identities leads to utter confusion. The play, like the original is a satire on the corruption rampant in the system.

Where: Ranga Shankara, Phase 2, JP Nagar, Bengaluru
When: March 29, 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm
Info: Tickets available on www.bookmyshow.com

Stand-up comedy

Laughter remedies: Laugh of The Titans gives you two hours of standup comedy, the "titans" here being Kannan Gill, who shot to fame with his series of Pretentious Movie Reviews, Naveen Richard, formerly of Evam, and other Bengaluru comedians Sundeep Rao, Sanjay Manaktala, Praveen Kumar and Kenneth Sebastian. After a hard day's work, this might be what the doctor ordered.

Where: Chowdiah Memorial Hall, Malleshwaram, Bengaluru.
When: April 3, 7 pm

Music

Music for a cause: The Chronic Blues Circus is among the four bands and two solo musicians who will be performing this weekend to raise funds for clean water for the Annaswamy School in Fraser town. The others bands include Polly Wants a Cracker, 1 Girl Shy, Deaf Tones, Anirudh Ravi and Koch Shankar.

When: March 28, 9 pm
Where: Counter Culture, Whitefield, Bengaluru