Supper Theatre

Supper Theatre means just what the two words indicate – eat (and drink) while watching a live performance. The entertainment part could be anything from a play to kalaripattu, the Kerala martial art. Food, snacks and drinks would be available and you eat and drink as you enjoy the performance.

How does a supper theatre differ from a night club or a restaurant with a floor show? It is a theatre where food and drinks are also served. The play is the important event. You sit at a table meant for say, six to eight people and concentrate on the performance while sipping your drink and munching a snack.

Supper theatre is a Western idea which has recently come to India. Such events have been held in Mumbai, Calcutta, Bangalore and Hyderabad. I am not sure about the other places. Anyway, Chennai had a successful supper theatre on November 21 at Le Royal Meridien. Perhaps the Chennai socialites are asking around, ‘Where you there?’ You know, a place to be seen at.

The play at the supper theatre at Le Royal Meridien was “FIVE”, a political satire by Shreekumar Varma, the well known novelist and playwright. His works have been published by Penguin, Harper Collins and Macmillan. He was awarded Charles Wallace Fellowship in 2004. Varma is the grandson of Regent Maharani Sethu Lakshmi Bai of Travancore and the great grandson of the world famous artist Raja Ravi Varma.

FIVE was directed by Ajit Chitturi and presented by ‘thespian en’. Chitturi was the man who founded the drama group under the inspiration of the theatre veteran Mohammed Yousuf in 1994. Today ‘thespian en’ offers theatre, comprehensive voice training, comprehensive theatre training, children’s theatre and women’s theatre. Some of its personnel were associated with The Madras Players who entertained the city with classy stuff for half a century and more. The ‘thespian en’ email is thespianen@yahoo.com

The credit for organizing this supper theatre goes to three dynamic ladies with proven track record– Divya Reddy, Sujatha Robin Singh, and Usha Shekar. Here is what they say about their venture, “E – tonite plans to provide high quality entertainment programmes, while also supporting lesser known social and charitable organizations. A part of the proceeds of every E – tonite event will go to charity.

Well, let us look forward to more supper theatre events.