Magic on stage – The Surabhi way

The moon did not merely rise over the stage- it possessed it. Silver light flooded the sky as the hero and heroine stood apart, their voices entwined in a lovelorn melody of separation. Though they sang to one another, they did not stand together. Handcrafted props- painted palaces, drifting clouds, archways and shifting curtains divided them visually, placing them in different worlds. The audience watched two actors on a single stage, yet saw two hearts exiled by destiny. It was theatre in its purest magical form- no digital touch, no cinematic illusion, -only craft, imagination, and generations of inherited skill transforming wood, cloth, light and shadow into something more endearing and more convincing than film. This poignant scene between Abhimanyu and Sasirekha, was from the evergreen play “Maya Bazaar”.

And then came a moment, that only a legacy troupe could render with such authenticity. A two- month- old infant from the family of performers made her debut as she was carried on stage as the newborn Krishna in the play “Sri Krishna Leelalu”. Swaddled and serene beneath the glow of stage lights, the child drew a collective murmur from the audience. This was not a prop but a living heir to a tradition. Later in the play, as Kamsa raged, three young boys dressed identically as Krishna, appeared at different points on the stage- one near a palace arch, another atop a platform and a third emerging from behind him. The illusion was instantaneous and delightful at once. The tyrant spun in confusion, sword raised, unsure which Krishna stood before him. For a breathless moment the audience shared his bewilderment- until the real Krishna revealed himself and vanquished Kamsa, sending whistles, applause and shouts of appreciation cascading through the surroundings brimming with people.

Such theatrical magic is the hallmark of the Surabhi Theatre Group, a 140 -year -old family tradition founded in 1885 by Vanarasa Govinda Rao in Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh. Today, 52 members of a single extended family uphold this extraordinary legacy, with the sixth -generation director-actor Surabhi Jayachandra Varma at the helm. Last weekend at Saptaparni cultural centre in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, the troupe staged two evergreen plays “Maya Bazaar” and “Sri Krishna Leelalu”, to a rapt audience reaffirming why Surabhi remains a cultural treasure. Both productions were marked by the age- old theatre style with long resonant dialogues and classical singing steeped in ragas performed with striking confidence. The child Krishna delivered verses with surprising poise while his grandmother embodying the generational heartbeat of the troupe- portrayed the adult Krishna in “Maya bazaar “ on Saturday, and transformed into Yashoda, Krishna’s mother in “Sri Krishna Leelalu”, the following evening. Watching grandmother and grandchild inhabit different phases of the same divine life, lent the performances a rare emotional layering- mythology merging seamlessly with lived family continuity.

The spectacle extended into scenes of warfare as well. Bows were drawn with theatrical flourish; arrows streaked across the stage in blazing arcs. In one gasp-inducing sequence, a flaming arrow met mid-air with another bearing water, extinguishing it in a dramatic burst that felt at once simple and astonishing. The visual grandeur did not end there. Narada descended through rolling clouds, veena in hand as if arriving from another realm, Vishnu reclined upon his serpent bed in the cosmic ocean- a tableau of stillness and divinity rendered through layered curtains, painted waves and ingenious lighting. Krishna’s subduing of the venomous Kaliya unfolded with dramatic energy, the serpent’s coiled body rising and falling as the young god danced on it. And in one of the most tender moments Yashoda peered into Krishna’s mouth- only to behold the fourteen worlds within. These were not projections or digital simulations but handcrafted illusions- clouds lowered by ropes, serpents directed with precision and cosmic visions created through light , shadow and timing. The enchantment lay precisely in knowing that everything was achieved before one’s eyes through human skill and tradition. What made the evenings truly remarkable, however was the audience. Young children watched wide-eyed, teenagers leaned forward in fascination, and seniors absorbed the performances with visible nostalgia. Whistles pierced the air, applause rose in rhythmic waves and people queued up to take selfies with the actors on stage unmindful of the time. The strong presence of the younger generation was specially heartening- a reassuring sign that traditional Indian values, mythology and cultural story telling continue to resonate beyond textbooks and screens. It was generous and farsighted of the organisers to patronize and present such a production for the third time and create a space for a 140 -year -old theatrical legacy to speak powerfully to contemporary audiences. Surabhi once again proved that imagination, music and inherited craft can create images more vivid and enduring than cinema. They stay with you long after the curtains are drawn.