Sartorial Word: Of greasepaint and musicals, Nida Butt speaks out

Undeterred by negativity, Nida revels in the applause that her latest musical Grease is receiving.

KARACHI:

You may or may not like Grease — Nida Butt’s latest musical extravaganza currently being staged in Karachi, which has garnered mixed reviews — but you can’t deny the passion that has been poured into the production. With grandiose sets, fabulous props, gripping music, impeccable styling and groovy song and dance routines, Grease is evidently the product of long working nights, extensive rehearsals and diligent backstage management.

Nida pulls the strings of the show; she murmurs the dialogues along with the cast and matches with their dance steps as they jive to the power packed Greased Lightning. Any time they miss a beat, they can look at Nida and remember the next step. For, while the cast may take centre stage, Grease is Nida’s show through and through.

“I refuse to let negative reviews bother me,” she says, referring to the criticism flung at the musical — ‘too long’, ‘too anglicised’, ‘no chemistry between the two main leads’, have been some of the slings and arrows among generally positive comments. “Most of these so-called critics have never seen an international Broadway musical and don’t understand the nuances of the genre. How can they then assess our work?” Nida argues.



“Grease, for instance, is not too long; two and a half hours is the standard length of any musical. Nobody bothered to mention the sets or the bona fide Ford Convertible we created. Critics, I feel, are criticising just for the sake of it.”

Undeterred by negativity, Nida revels in the applause that the musical has been receiving. “Some of the nights were booked by corporate clients and that always helps to get the ball rolling. After that, it’s basically word of mouth that draws in more people. Judging from the way our tickets are selling, my guess is that people are liking the show!”



There is no denying that Grease with its uber Western storyline and accented English dialogue can only appeal to a niche audience. Pakistani masses would veritably find the innuendo-laden story difficult to stomach. “It’s why we have ‘PG’ printed on the tickets,” agrees Nida. “Grease may veer towards adult topics sometimes, but it never gets bawdy. It wasn’t possible to omit the innuendo and still stay true to the original story. Besides, there are far too many die-hard Grease fans who would have been livid had we tried to change the script or localise it in any way.”

“Yes, we are catering to a niche audience, but as it is, not everyone can afford a Rs2,000 ticket!” The high ticket price, Nida says, was necessary. “We’re still barely breaking even. We purchased the original copyrights of Grease and have aimed for high quality production standards. It has required some very heavy investments.”

Her greatest coup, she declares, has been deciphering how to devise the sets — they rotate and fold in and out to create different backdrops. Yet another innovation was the placement of the stage band, on a slightly visible platform above the stage. In Nida’s earlier musicals, the orchestra was stationed at corners of the main auditorium, making the music a bit deafening for members of the audience sitting close to them. “The music is more audible this way (in Grease),” Nida points out.

How did she come up with these improvements? “I watch at least ten to 15 musicals every time I go abroad,” Nida professes. “I observe and learn. I have wanted to attempt Grease for the longest time, but knew it was a difficult musical to produce. Not just because of its stage requirements, but also because of its cult fan following and the expectations attached to it. It was only now, with my experience and exposure to international standards, that I gathered the confidence to stage it.”

Working right along with her is her husband, music band Co-VEN’s frontman, Hamza Jafri. “We are both very hands on and work on the nitty-gritties. We worked together on our previous production, Karachi -The Musical, also and it helps that we’re both on the same wavelength.”

The hard work has paid off — the gloss and pizzazz that define Nida’s work are one of Grease’s highest selling points. It is unadulterated stage magic that makes you tap your feet to the music and enthrals you as the stage radiates with enchanting fairy lights.

“There’s no other theatrical group that has managed to venture into live musicals the way we have. We’ve managed to introduce and sustain a new art form in Pakistan. Musicals may not be everybody’s cup of tea, but people who love music, western music, particularly, will certainly like Grease. This show is for them.”

Published in The Express Tribune, January 27^th, 2014.

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