Lights On
Reviews for the Drama
Lights On
UAA’s play Lights On is a humorous whodunit – The Hindu
UAA’s play Lights On (script: Venkat; dramatisation and direction: Y.Gee. Mahendra) was first staged in 1998, and has been revived now. The play is based on a story by Telugu novelist and film director Gollapudi Maruti Rao. In the play, staged recently at Vani Mahal, we are introduced to a drama troupe. Sabhas are ready to give dates to the troupe, but when it comes to payment, they are tightfisted. This captures the present-day scenario — drama troupes either have to operate on a shoestring budget or find generous sponsors. The members of the troupe are discussing a prospective play, when the heroine dies. Is it suicide or murder? The playwright, who happens to be her lover, is determined to find out the truth. Every member of the troupe has a motive to kill the heroine. So by a process of elimination, he has to rule out those with valid alibis.
LIGHTS ON…a Whodunit Crime thriller in true
A masterpiece from the House of Unite d Amateur Artistes, Lights On had the a udience in a thrall at Rasika Ranjani Sab ha Hall. Staged in 1998 ,the play had
been the darling of the masses not just in India but across the US, Canada, Aust ralia and the pwhole of Europe.
If a drama buff had been floored by the impact of UAA flagship play Rahasiyam Parama Rahasiyam, Lights On will make you stand up and give a fitting thundero us cheers at the end of it ..
Known for his intelligence in the way he executes his character, Mahendran has revelled in the important aspects of dramatization and direction to go with the orchestrated writing of the dependable Venkat to the inspired story of the late Gollapudi Maruti Rao.
In a simple storyline the momentum picks up from the word go. A bunch of dramatists meet after a length of time for the rehearsal of a new play.
Review from Kavithalaya Krishnan
Lights on…theater is all about passion and discipline..it is a thankless futile selfish journey that can be both frustrating as well as exilarating. These thoughts ran in my mind after watching..LIGHTS ON..a play I vaguely remember I watched when I was in the infant stages of theater appreciation, it was revived recently by the evergreen y.g m…I happened to watch the play at r r sabha hall recently..the ambiance carries a lot of pleasant memories for me..and.. lights on..added some more rather astonishing ones …the play was still engrossing and topical even if it was nearly three decades old..Mahendra informed that it was an idea from gollapudi Maruthi rao..the veteran screen play writer that was made into a play by mr venkat..who has travelled with Mahendra all these years..pure theater never stales..premium writers are always in sync..perfect actors never lose their skills…this was proved by the combination of UAA ..Mahendra and Venkat once again….their last theater presentation..charukesi..was a classic..waiting for a celluloid avatar….lights on could well follow that route too..it has the potential as well as the pedigree..Lights on was indeed a profound watching experience…y g Mahendra was in vintage form with his topical repartees and his charm and repotaire has only matured with age and time..it was only Mahendras pristine uncolored white hair that reminded us that time has really passed us by,from those glorious drama days.. otherwise it seemed to stand still and for over two hours the audiance were treated to a wonderful experience of live theater entertainment….current Tamil theater misses such performances of class..every artiste who performed showed an awareness and proved why Uaa is one of the longest serving drama troupes in the country ..and hopefully it is stalwarts like y g mahendra who will switch the LIGHTS ON..for the cause of theater in the future as he always has..may his tribe increase..
FROM ACTOR LAVANYA VENUGOPAL
Had the pleasure of watching.this classic play at Vani Mahal!!
“Lights on” is one of the best that I have watched so far of the “whodunit” genre.
A thrilling plot, well developed characters and a satisfying conclusion made this a great watch. A strong whodunit will keep the audience guessing until the very end and Lights on was exactly that kind of play which kept us pondering until the very end.
Characters were very well developed with distinct personality traits and hidden depths.
Their interactions with each other kept on adding to the mystery. Ygee Mahendra sir’s skillful direction magically weaved the clues and false leads in order to mislead the audience and that made us guessing until the very end.
Venkat sir’s sharp, witty and engaging dialogues contributed immensely to the plot and the characters.
What an excellent subtle performance by
Madhuvanthi M i!!! Even in the scenes she didn’t appear we felt her presence such was the impact that she gave right from her first scene as “Lalitha”
Review of Lights On from Veena Kannan on FB
Lights On – you don’t have to necessarily go to a thriller movie; instead you can watch this drama on stage by YGM & UAA Troupe; though I have watched it several years back, it was rejuvenation & relaxation for the audience all along. The roles of YGM, Madhuvanthi & Sureshwar & of course each & every member of UAA can be described for long & they were evidently different & standing out, beautifully woven along with the story. In fact you can expect the unexpected. Like how a nice dish needs all good ingredients, YGM presents a delightful combo of a thriller, comedy, interesting storyline, powerful dialogues & thought process of things to come for the audience, which has his unique rubber stamp of wholesome viewing by the spectator. On the whole, this “dish” offered by him for the feast was indeed delectable. Hearty congratulations to him & the entire UAA Team for reviving Lights On
Review from Actress Ambika
Thank u yg anna for inviting me to ur LIGHTS ON .show.brilliantly done and acted so beautifully by everyone.really surprising climax. I thought of different people to be the villains, anyway am sure people will love this…waiting 4 ur next drama…
FROM ACTRESS Suganya
The murder mystery, infused with comedy across all levels, was both captivating and unpredictable, keeping the audience guessing the identity of the murderer throughout. The entire cast delivered great performances—kudos to Y.G. Mahendran, Madhuvanthi, Suresh, and the rest of the team. “Lights On” skillfully balanced light-hearted humor with gripping suspense, making it both entertaining and thrilling. Nice to share the audience experience with dear 80s Queen Ambika 💖
Review from Director Cheran