Kathmandu:

The king is getting old and he orders his son to look for a suitable bride. The prince goes in search of a girl who is beautiful and intelligent and finds such a girl in a village. He brings her to the palace to be his wife but on one condition — she must never interfere with matters related to running of the country; the day she does this, she will have to return to her village. She agrees but also puts forth a condition — should such a situation arise, she will return to the village taking with her the one thing that is most precious to her.

That’s the story of Aarohan Theatre Group’s new play Bathi Rani that was staged on March 5.

Based on a Nordic fairytale, the treatment by director Jacques Matthiessen from Denmark is very new. The use of signs and body language forms an integral part of the play, whereas facial expressions are minimal and even the dialogues are quite simple.

Describing his method Matthiessen said, “These plays will be staged in Denmark too, so I’ve used body language so the audience there too can understand it. Besides that we plan to show it in schools as well, and I feel this is the best medium, which will interest children.”

The actors have carried out their roles interestingly be it the lead actors, Pashupati Rai and Saugat Malla and the talented Prabin Khatiwada and Rajkumar Pudsaini who play different roles. The use of props like sticks have been done very effectively to change the sets from a palace to rural area.

Unlike the plays that one usually associates with Aarohan, those with a realistic approach, strong dialogues and a powerful message on political or social issues, this one is quite different. This play has more an artistic tempo to it and a light touch.

The play will be staged till March 28 (except on Mondays)