NeeNaaNaaDre NaaNeeNeNaa review: This Kannada spin on The Comedy of Errors delivers big laugh
Comedy, they say, is the toughest of genres — more so on stage, where there are no second takes to perfect a punchline or recover a missed beat. Timing is everything, and the laughs must land in the moment. That is precisely what makes this Kannada adaptation of The Comedy of Errors, written by S Surendranath, impressive. Every character is a comic revelation — even those without a single line of dialogue. Set against a backdrop of delightful chaos, the story begins with an old man, Marthandaraya, searching for his son, Raya, and his househelp’s son, Vatapi. In a hilariously convoluted backstory narrated to a cop, we learn that there were two sets of twins: Raya and Chikka Raya, born to his wife, and Vatapi and Chikka Vatapi, born to their house help. Having lost one Raya and one Vatapi during their childhood, Marthandaraya is now on a quest to reunite with the remaining pair, who recently left home for a slightly shady business deal.
What follows is a whirlwind of confusion. One set of Raya and Vatapi, leading separate lives from their namesakes, intercept the paths of their identical counterparts, setting off a chain reaction of misunderstandings. The chaos confounds everyone — the characters, the cops, and the audience. Adding to the absurdity are touches of the supernatural: the twins’ unusual origin story involving a penance where the women consumed mud, and a ghost hilariously infatuated with one of the Vatapis.
The play thrives on its quirky characters, razor-sharp timing, and use of additional English punchlines. Marthandaraya’s timely renditions of old Kannada songs (and his infectious, perfectly placed dance moves to the basic music) heighten the humour, turning already comic situations into laugh-out-loud moments. The result was a packed auditorium, with splits from start to nish. It’s no surprise, then, that the production is currently one of the long-running plays on the Kannada theatre circuit. With its 55th show staged at Ranga Shankara over the weekend, the team is set to return in May.
What follows is a whirlwind of confusion. One set of Raya and Vatapi, leading separate lives from their namesakes, intercept the paths of their identical counterparts, setting off a chain reaction of misunderstandings. The chaos confounds everyone — the characters, the cops, and the audience. Adding to the absurdity are touches of the supernatural: the twins’ unusual origin story involving a penance where the women consumed mud, and a ghost hilariously infatuated with one of the Vatapis.
The play thrives on its quirky characters, razor-sharp timing, and use of additional English punchlines. Marthandaraya’s timely renditions of old Kannada songs (and his infectious, perfectly placed dance moves to the basic music) heighten the humour, turning already comic situations into laugh-out-loud moments. The result was a packed auditorium, with splits from start to nish. It’s no surprise, then, that the production is currently one of the long-running plays on the Kannada theatre circuit. With its 55th show staged at Ranga Shankara over the weekend, the team is set to return in May.
Next Story