The grand finale of Upbeatables – photo by Mohammad Farooq

Karachi is experiencing a boom in stage productions with the number of plays being produced and held in the city. Upbeatables by BZ Productions, written and directed by Abdul Aleem Shekhani, is the latest that held its premiere at the Karachi Arts Council last week.

First the story: Aman (Wahab Shah) and Sephora (Breakhna Yusuf) are two kindred souls in love with dancing; they hide it from themselves and even their father, working odd jobs and keeping busy. But their actions speak louder than words, literally. Enter Bilal and Aliza (Hasan Rizvi and Zarmeena Yusuf) — the lords of dance if you will — who are known far and wide for both their abilities and the prestigious, impossibly-hard-to-win dance competition that they hold every year. Aman and Saphura decide to enter, but they are not alone as a number of other talented teams are also vying for the cash prize on offer.

One of these teams comprises Saqib Bhai (Saqib Sami), his quarrelling brother-sister duo Asif and Maha (Adi Amjad and Munazza Naqvi) and his love interest Sanniya (Hira Sadiq). Due to mainly Asif’s scandalous dance which has become a hit on YouTube, they find themselves in the competition as well. At its climax, the dances take centre stage, living up to the tagline Watch the Beats Unite.

More a musical (without the singing) than a play, the production did well to keep the audience entertained, who were often unable to stop applauding after a routine or a line in the show. The songs used were popular, upbeat and were chosen well for the feel of the story — I could hear club, instrumentals and even some disco in the play list. One discernible characteristic was Upbeatables’ attempt to be somewhat edgy in the selection of songs, dances and some dialogue. Fortunately, it is not something that goes overboard and gives the play its character.

The most memorable parts of the show though were the dances. The play featured a number of routines both solo and in groups: a mini-stomp, an ethnic number from a Bollywood hit, break dancing and Michael Jackson’s signature moves were just a few styles that were performed. Most of them incorporated a number of moves which you might be familiar with from reality dance competitions on TV — much better than the usual sports’ day exercises some try to pass of as dance.

Wahab Shah in particular was quite brilliant and his enthusiasm was as apparent as his talent: without a single line in the show, he managed to steal the spotlight each time he came on stage. His pairing with Breakhna Yusuf was also perfect and the two performed perfectly in sync with each other. Whereas most dances in the play are performed according to the music, at a critical point in the story Wahab and Breakhna perform a routine that is more about emotions than moves; Sephora’s attempts at calming Aman’s distress result in the most powerful performance of the show.

Hasan Rizvi and Zarmeena Yusuf too performed a number of energy-infused dances, proving why their characters were the dance masters in the competition. Daring and bold, their dances were well-performed although being a little lighter on their feet is an area where they could improve.

For the most part, the actors did well on the opening night. Saqib Sami’s stammering delivery brought loads of laughter from the audience as Adi Amjad’s ‘Made in China’ English and Sheila ki Jawani obsession. As it is with most plays, delivery was an area that needed improvement, especially since miking stage actors is something Pakistan has yet to come to terms with. Not an impossible thing to achieve though as Hamza Rizvi — the Upbeatables’ version of Corny Collins proved — despite a sore throat the actor was audible all the way at the back.

What was disappointing was the lack of attention given to the female characters. The spunky tomboy sister, the girl that plays hard to get, are all characters which have been used countless times before. Maha’s character, with her karate expertise, had some promise and could have done more than playing Tom and Jerry with her brother. But unfortunately her dialogue and temper were all she had to work with; much like Sanniya who could be best remembered as either a girl who makes YouTube videos or ‘Saqib’s’ girlfriend. A little more imagination could have helped round the story off and make the conversations more memorable.

With a cast as big as a small company, Upbeatables appeals to audiences both young and old alike who gave it a standing ovation at its conclusion.

With just a month of rehearsals under their belt, the cast delivered a thoroughly entertaining show. The few areas for improvement were the need for a tighter storyline, better development of some of its characters and of course, getting the dancers in sync with each other — critical for a clean, dance-focused production. But besides opening night jitters and the fact that most cast members aren’t full-time or professional dancers and actors (very few are in Pakistan), the show is nevertheless a resounding success.