The Urge left an indelible mark

When a theatre veteran like Aamir Raza Hussain brings one of his plays to the city that does not often see good English theatre, the anticipation and expectation is bound to be high. And Hussain’s, The Urge did not let anyone down.Theatre doyens Aamir and his wife Virat Hussain regaled an enthusiastic audience at the Swosti Premium this week with their play The Urge.Inspired from Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, the play had its own interpretation of the hoary comedy. The Hussains had leading roles in the play. George (Aamir) revels in his role as the stodgy stagehand of Dickie Dickson’s (Rahul Karan Batra) operatic troupe in Yorkshire. His love interest is Anna Dickson (Virat) who is reluctant to commit to George as she wants to have a ‘fling’  before settling down. The troupe is waiting for Anthony Corelli (Daman Deep Sidhu), the Italian star, whose philandering ways are leashed by his ill-tempered scolding wife, Carlotta (Sonia Malik). There was also an ambitious and  attractive starlet, Angela (Sakshi), and an ageing diva, Victoria (Isha Sanyal), adding to the set of actors.Corelli’s drunken faint is misunderstood as his death and George is forced to play his role. The opera is a triumph, but the real Corelli has also woken up. Love and lust combine with confusion to reach a comic crescendo. Witty lines and hilarious situations kept the crowd in splits throughout the performance. The show certainly left a lasting impression on city theatre lovers.The event was organised by telecom service provider Aircel.