|
|
|
OVER VIEW: Catching the groom
What can a giddy girl in love, a highflying young pilot and a tyrannical mother-in-law to be, possibly have in common? A hilarious love-hate triangle full of fateful twists and a marriage that just doesn’t take off, thanks to the blessings of the mother-in-law! The Runaway Groom — a ‘new and improved’ version of the play, rehashed by Sam Killam and directed by Sohail Malik of the Karachi Drama Circle, returns with a bang! It’s crispier, wittier, funnier, and bolder.
The play is set in an English household in modern times. The hero is a young and playful airline pilot, Andrew Randall, played by the lively Faraz Waqar. The story begins as Andrew comes to wed his sweet wife-to-be, Samantha Arnott, played by newcomer Amna Babar, the night before the big day. As much as Andrew loves Samantha, he just cannot crack the code to make his over-powering mother-in-law, Victoria, smile, while she has serious doubts about Andrew’s capability to settle down and be a good husband. “You know what these highflying lover boys are like, with a girlfriend at every airport”, says Victoria summing up her feelings. But as you go along, you realize that beneath Victoria’s rough exterior, there lies a heart of gold, a concerned mother who just happens to be a control freak!
The play is set in an English household in modern times. The hero is a young and playful airline pilot, Andrew Randall, who arrives to wed his sweet wife-to-be, Samantha Arnott, the night before the big day
One can just imagine the effect such a disposition has on the rest of the family. No one dares speak up in front of Victoria, especially her sister-in-law, Izzy, who’s always in a tizzy, searching for signs of fate in tea leaves, in cups. Played by Ayesha Islam, a dedicated social worker, Izzy will make you jump up along with her, as she hops around the house. And then of course there is ‘dear old’ Albert Arnott, who has been living under Victoria’s shadow with his prolific pet rabbits. Little does she know that the naughty old man has more than a rabbit pen. And he does manage to muster up enough courage, once in a while, to talk back a bit, only to be ‘brought to heel’ by one of Victoria’s withering glares or snappy one-liners. The veteran actor Aitzaz Shahbaz, stars in this role for the second time.
Another fascinating character, is that of Carnanoustie McDuff, Andrew’s best man is played by the seasoned Faheem Wyne whose Scottish accent rings true till the end. His good or bad fortune is that he is chased around by the ever flirtatious, Marilyn Moore, Samantha’s cousin and bridesmaid who has taken a fancy to him and will not give up till she gets her way. Zoya Khan returns to the stage to play this role. As if all these characters are not enough to make Victoria bristle with anger, she also has to deal with her nosy neighbour, Mrs. Parker, who keeps a lookout on the Arnott household with her binoculars. This spicy role is played by newcomer Raheel Tariq.
Disaster strikes when ‘the boys’ insist on going out for a night on the town, against Victoria’s and Samantha’s wishes, only to sneak back home in a rather overly ‘jolly’ mood. But that’s not all that happens because Izzy’s revelation of a secret plan alters the course of events on the wedding day. Last but not least there is Father O’Reilly, the Irish priest who seems to be a Catholic but has somehow pre-empted the Pope’s edict on marriage for the clergy and is the only one Victoria actually listens to, surprisingly! Thus we see the return of Talal Saeed or ‘Tinky’, recreating the role he played last time.
The play opens at the DHA Creek Club from the 18th to the 20th of April. Immediately after these shows, the play will travel to Dubai.
The play opens at the DHA Creek Club from the 18th to 20th April.
|
|
|
|
