The expressions in plays/dramas and crowds..!

I have been going to plays in Chennai and Bangalore for a while now and it has been good fun. People are tremendously conscious of their attire, beautifully dressed for the occasion, and there is definitely a fair degree of sophistication in the class of society that turns up at these plays. The artificiality of the environment, the quasi-knowledge of many people in the crowd about the play, the daring dress codes that I have seen in these places are indeed very interesting to watch. 

The girls in the crowd at these plays have always been a feast to the eyes. Their idea of decorating themselves with resplendent attires, slam-bang deep colour lipsticks, revealing tops, and an artificial English accent to boot, is a combination that is pretty much the order of the day. The number of ooooooh's and aaaah's that I hear in the auditoriums make me believe that these women are reminiscing many other emotions that they might be used to. In reality, it is their real-time reaction to some spectacular performances by actors and actresses, who are practicing and displaying their craft, to a live audience. Men, for the most part, are much quieter. 

The time in the corridors during breaks is an even more intriguing experience. High society western English accents, women draped in expensive shawls and sarees, men dressed in very smart ethnic wear and conversations about the world flow through these corridors. Just as most people plug into a standard Indian palate of samosas with ketchup and a cup of coffee!

Not just that, these corridors are places of extreme public displays of affection. Endless number of men and women exchange tight hugs, beautiful pecks on each others cheeks, and immediately switch their conversations to world affairs, travel plans and the like. And not to forget, saying bye to each other, means another round of public display of affection! But the smiles that people have for each other, do seem to be genuine more often than not.

All this is good fun to watch for a single guy like me, who is interested in plays. It is not just the drama on stage that one gets to enjoy. One has even more fun watching grown-up men and women enact shows, far away from the stage!