1. Everyday Flamboyancy in Chennai's Sabha Theatre.
- Author
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Rudisill, Kristen
- Subjects
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THEATER , *COMEDY , *MARRIAGE , *PERFORMING arts - Abstract
This paper analyzes the 1977 Tamil-language Honeymoon Couple, written by Crazy Mohan for comedian Kathadi Ramamurthy, as a typical play that illustrates the basic content as well as structural and aesthetic characteristics of the sabha theatre genre. This work exhibits the major traits that in my analysis constitute the genre: patronage by sabhas, with their middle-class, usually Brahmin, audience base; a central theme concerning marriage alliances and/or married life; scripted witty dialogue with a thin plot and one-liner jokes, often including language jokes that code-switch between Tamil and English; a socially conservative message; and an "amateur aesthetic" that involves minimal sets, costumes, and lighting, and two-hour evening or weekend matinee performances. The reading of Kathadi Ramamurthy's Honeymoon Couple illustrates the flamboyant quotidian nature of the pure comedy plays that focus on fast-paced dialogue filled with jokes, puns, and allusions, and works from that humor to a deeper understanding of middle-class Tamil Brahmin culture. Kristen Rudisill is an assistant professor in the Department of Popular Culture and affiliated faculty with the Asian Studies Program at Bowling Green State University. She earned her PhD in Asian studies from the University of Texas at Austin. She is currently working on a book manuscript about the sabha theatre in Chennai as well as a book of translations of sabha plays. Her new project concerns Tamil film dance competitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2012
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