That evening it rained on me.. I soaked in the flavour of Mumbai Monologues and my soul was nourished. It was a beautiful setting, the audience, the actors all seem to be part of the reveling and then they broke open.

A diary, shades of Bombay, and the flavour of experimental theatre. Mumbai Monologues delivered on all counts. It is emotional and each conversation connects with you very quickly. The actor stirs you into a dialogue, catches every sigh, and even allows you to question the existence of a barrier. There is no stage, the audience is amid the chaotic Mumbai conversations. The mind is never still, always pulled apart by the turmoil that jostles within the characters head.

The music, draws you away to a pleasant place and then after a flight of fantasy allows you back in the deluge. Emotions still mixed, and with every note clashing with your existence in that comfortable chair. Sayanti's voice very beautifully layered with the violinist chords was a performance on its own.

Without placing a foot wrong, Padma and the team at Agaram Productions has stepped up to deliver something spectacular. 

Mumbai Monologues directed by Ahi Karunaharan and Padma Akula was performed at TAPAC between the 12 - 16 February as part of the Auckland PRIDE Festival 2014.

The sublime writing of the play is credited to Stephanie Georgepoulis, Gyan Prakash, Anita Crisnel, Sananda Chatterjee and Poorna Prakash.

‘Mumbai Monologues’ brings together some extraordinary stories about ordinary lives in Mumbai and presents them alongside original songs by Indian born New Zealander, Singer and Songwriter by Sayanti Chatterjee (Rudali 2013) and original compositions by Kim Gruebner (Indi Star) who toured Australia as a professional violinist for 10 years.

Agaram Productions is an international production house specializing in the development and creation of new work from New Zealand’s diverse voices and the presentation of these works to New Zealand and to the world beyond. Agaram Productions is committed to supporting and employing local, national and international artists with a point of difference and offering entertainment of the highest quality.

The play featured: Aman bajaj (Simply Frank), Anya Banerjee (Rudali), Raj Singh (Balti Kings) ,Monica Mahendru (Short and Sweet), Nona Shedde (Culture Clash), Prateek Vadgaonkar, Tina Pan, Anita Crisnel (Spartacus). Accompanied by Sayanti Chatterjee, Kim Gruebner and Marie M Bagley