Planner: 5 events that pack a punch this week
Gallery Espace is presenting Vadodara-based artist Rashmimala's first solo, titled How We Breathe. The show includes recent works, which are centred around the vegetation and flora of the Capital and the North-East. Though she draws inspiration from the botanical drawings prevalent in the 18th-19th centuries, Rashmimala bases her documentation of vegetation in the 21st century. She looks at the resilience of nature, and its ability to heal itself, through examples of plants like ruderals, which grow easily on soil degraded by natural disasters or construction. At Gallery Espace, New Delhi, till 12 August, 11am-7pm (closed on Sunday). A promotional image for the 'Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' musical produced by Phase 1 World, Bengaluru.
It's going to be a musical week for Bengaluru. For, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat returns as an all-male pop opera, directed by music and theatre director Kevin Oliver and produced by Phase 1 World. With 16 songs spanning genres from energy rock anthems and pop grooves to semi-classical Indian melodies and Broadway ballads, and over 100 male vocalists performing, the production promises to be a sonic treat. Adding a grand element to things are Dubai's celebrated couturiers Michael Cinco and Furne One Amato. 'The visual centerpiece—the Dreamcoat itself—weighs over 21 kilos and features more than 30 fabrics and textures, crafted to shimmer, ripple, and evolve with every musical passage,' reveals the press note. At Good Shepherd Auditorium, Richmond Town, Bengaluru, 17 -19 July, 8pm. Tickets on Bookmyshow. Beef and Bone is on the limited edition Nikkei Menu by chef Randy Cultivo.
Wabi Sabi at The Oberoi, Bengaluru is hosting a limited edition Nikkei Menu by chef Randy Cultivo. The menu, inspired by chef Cultivo's explorations of the cuisine and his travels around Peru, includes signature dishes like the Tiradito, Beef and Bone, The Wabi Sabi Sizzle and Ceviche de Atún with fresh jalapeño peppers. While vegetarian options include Fruit ceviche and Three carrots and H, desserts include Chimu Reimagined, Caviar Box and Flavours of Yutori. At Wabi Sabi at The Oberoi, Bengaluru, 10-27 July, for lunch and dinner. For reservations, call +91 80 2558 5858. The promotional poster for Superqueens directed by Vivek Mansukhani.
On Sunday, The Piano Man is hosting 'Superqueens', touted as India's first-ever drag musical. Conceived as a cabaret-style theatrical experience, the 90-minute musical, according to the press note, takes the viewer on a 'hilarious, heartfelt and high-energy journey into the lives of five fierce drag queens in Delhi,' set to a soundtrack of Bollywood hits, club anthems, and pop classics. The cast features some of India's best-known drag artists: Lush Monsoon, Betta Naan Stop, Hash Brownie, Whacker Cracker and Sickk. The musical is directed by Vivek Mansukhani, choreographed by Shohini Dutta and Udisha Uniyal and written by Vivek Mansukhani, Aishwarya Ayushmaan, Teya and Prateek Sachdeva. At The Piano Man, Eldeco Centre, Malviya Nagar, New Delhi, on 13 July, 8.30 pm. For details, visit www.thepianoman.in.
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Indian Express
2 days ago
- Indian Express
Fact or fiction? 7 memoirs that blurred the line
Memoirs are built on the promise of honesty. They offer a raw, intimate look into lives touched by trauma, transformation, or triumph, and readers trust that what they are consuming is at least fundamentally true. However, recently, Raynor Winn's bestselling memoir, which was recently adapted for screen, found itself in the eye of a controversy after she was accused of fabricating parts of her widely acclaimed life story. Published in 2018, The Salt Path recounts Winn's 630-mile walk with her husband, Moth, along the South West Coast Path after losing their home and receiving a terminal diagnosis of corticobasal degeneration (CBD), a rare neurodegenerative condition. The story became an inspiration for those struggling with challenging medical diagnoses, and sold over two million copies worldwide. The recent controversy is only the latest in a long line of publishing betrayals. For decades, authors have published so-called true stories that turned o James Frey's memoir about drug addiction and recovery skyrocketed after Oprah chose it for her Book Club. Brutal, unflinching, and famously detailing a root canal with no anesthesia and an 87-day jail sentence, it felt almost too intense to be true. In 2006, The Smoking Gun revealed that Frey had fabricated or grossly exaggerated key parts of the story. He had never been in a fatal accident, never served serious jail time, and had embellished nearly every detail of his 'rock bottom.' Oprah, feeling misled, called him back on air to publicly rebuke him. Frey's publisher issued a disclaimer. Frey, meanwhile, pivoted back to fiction with Bright Shiny Morning. Claiming to be a half-Native foster child raised in gang-infested South Central L.A., 'Margaret B. Jones' delivered a gripping account of violence, survival, and resilience. Critics hailed Love and Consequences as authentic and vital, until the author's real sister stepped in. Margaret B Jones was actually Margaret Seltzer, a white woman raised in suburban Los Angeles and educated at private school. Her entire memoir was fiction. Photos, staged interviews, even 'foster siblings' had been fabricated to sell the illusion. The book was recalled immediately, with only 19,000 copies in circulation. Seltzer's defense that she was trying to give a voice to unheard communities was dismissed as exploitation. Misha Defonseca's story was almost too miraculous to believe. At age 7, she claimed, she walked 1,900 miles across Nazi-occupied Europe to find her deported parents, lived with wolves, snuck into the Warsaw Ghetto, and killed a German soldier in self-defense. The book struggled in the US but became a massive bestseller overseas and was adapted into a French film. Eleven years later, researchers unearthed documents showing that Defonseca was Catholic and had been enrolled in a school in Brussels during the time she claimed to be wandering Europe. Her real name was Monique De Wael. She eventually confessed, saying the fabricated story reflected her emotional truth. Holocaust scholars were outraged, warning that such stories gave ammunition to deniers and distorted real survivor accounts. Clifford Irving pulled off a con that briefly fooled one of America's top publishers. Claiming to have secured the cooperation of reclusive billionaire Howard Hughes, Irving presented forged letters and fake interviews to McGraw-Hill, who gave him a $765,000 advance for the exclusive memoir. But the hoax unraveled when Hughes himself publicly denounced the book via a phone call with reporters. Irving's forgeries were exposed, and he served 17 months in prison for fraud. The incident remains one of the most infamous literary scams ever, later adapted into the film The Hoax starring Richard Gere. It exposed the publishing industry's blind spots. When Stern magazine announced it had uncovered Adolf Hitler's personal diaries, sixty volumes hidden since WWII, it was hailed as a historic breakthrough. The diaries were said to be recovered from a crashed plane and authenticated by historian Hugh Trevor-Roper. But the story fell apart within weeks. Forensic analysis revealed the paper, ink, and glue were all post-war. The 'diaries' were fakes created by forger Konrad Kujau, who had specialised in selling counterfeit Nazi memorabilia. He and the journalist who facilitated the deal both went to prison. The scandal cost Stern millions and embarrassed historians worldwide. Marketed as a touching memoir of a Cherokee boy raised by his grandparents in the Appalachian Mountains, The Education of Little Tree was beloved for its gentle wisdom and spiritual tone. It sold over a million copies and became a classroom favorite. But Forrest Carter was actually Asa Carter, a segregationist speechwriter for George Wallace and a former KKK (Ku Klux Klan) member. He had no Cherokee heritage, and the book's portrayal of Native American life was riddled with stereotypes and inaccuracies. Despite being exposed as early as the late 1970s, the book continued to sell and was even adapted into a film. Oprah recommended it on-air in 1994, later retracting her endorsement when she learned the truth. Today, it is classified as fiction, but many readers still believe it is an authentic memoir. Presented as the real diary of a teenage girl who spirals into drug addiction and dies young, Go Ask Alice was published without an author and claimed to be 'real.' Its harrowing portrayal of sex, drugs, and despair became a cautionary tale for generations of students. But no one could verify the girl's identity and no family ever came forward. Eventually, youth counselor Beatrice Sparks admitted to editing and 'enhancing' the diary. Over time, critics determined that much of it had likely been fabricated or written entirely by Sparks herself. Despite mounting evidence, the book remains on school reading lists and is still classified as nonfiction in some libraries. Sparks went on to publish other 'diary' memoirs, many of which followed the same sensationalist, moralising formula.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Time of India
Bengaluru has so much potential; we just need to nurture it, says Kevin Oliver
When I was 19, I produced Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with friends, on a budget of `1,000. Since then, life has taken me to various cities and into different professional pursuits. But about four months ago, I decided I wanted to do something substantial in Bengaluru. It feels like a full circle moment to now come back,' says Kevin Oliver, musician, theatre director, fashion choreographer and Bengaluru boy, who has brought Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat to the city. Kevin's production offers a fresh interpretation of the classic, originally conceived by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice in the 1970s, now reimagined as India's first all-male pop opera. Excerpts: 'EVEN YEARS LATER, I LOVE THAT I CAN STILL SEE BENGALURU; IT'S NOT LOST' Back in the city after years, Kevin offers a refreshingly balanced perspective on Bengaluru. 'I just love where Bengaluru's gone, and I love that I can still see Bengaluru; it's not lost. People certainly complain about the traffic and so many trees being cut down, and of course, that's going to happen. The city has become insane; it's grown so big. Being here for a month and a half has been such a fabulous trip down memory lane and into the future because Bengaluru is a city that endures. And with all its madness, I love where Bengaluru's going,' he says. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If you have a mouse, play this game for 1 minute Navy Quest Undo You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru 'THERE'S A LOT OF COPY-PASTE HAPPENING TODAY' Kevin is also particularly critical of the lack of originality in the arts. 'Today, in the arts, there's a lot of copy-paste happening. I feel, especially in India, we tend to do a lot of copy and paste, especially in the fashion business. It's the old designers reshowing the same old stuff in different fabrics, with a multitude of sequins and crystals. For me, the fashion quotient and artistic part of it are a little bit lost. Every show looks the same; whether it's one designer or another, it looks the same to me. There's no innovation at all,' he says. 'BENGALURU HAS SO MUCH TO OFFER IN TERMS OF CREATIVE POTENTIAL' Speaking about Bengaluru's creative landscape, Kevin notes that the city is 'brimming with untapped potential'. 'The talent here is amazing, but it's disheartening to see the arts fading away so much around the world. The city has so much to offer in terms of creative potential; we just need to nurture it." The reason why we haven't achieved a certain standard in Bengaluru is purely because of the lack of support from corporates, groups. Everything is muddied Kevin Oliver JOSEPH GETS A COUTURE TWIST 'I wanted to marry fashion and music – something that has never been done in musicals. With Joseph, I wanted to bring an element of couture, right from the first image to the last image. I borrowed and begged from designers to lend me couture clothes and brought them down to Bengaluru. Key pieces in the show feature international branding, including Joseph's coat (left) which is 21 kgs of Swarovski crystal. It's my interpretation of where we've taken the story since its '70s origins,' says Kevin. 'I CHOSE AN ALL-MALE CAST BECAUSE…' But why an all-men cast? Kevin says, 'Joseph is very male. It's 12 brothers – it's very male-dominated. Men have such beautiful timbre in their voices – I wanted to showcase that, and so it became quite a natural fit for an all-male ensemble. (laughs) Of course, I had a lot of grumbling from the womenfolk, asking why I'd come back after so long to do an all-male musical. I said, 'Well, it was a twist. It wasn't planned; it was just about how I could make it fresh. ' And who knows, I might even do an all-female musical next time.' 'The musical follows a ninepart narrator format with 16 genre-fluid tracks and 100-plus male performers, aged 13–50, singing live from start to finish,' he adds.
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- The Hindu
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat back in Bengaluru, courtesy Kevin Oliver
Music and passion are always in fashion — add a touch of couture to the proceedings and you are bound to have a stunner. Kevin Oliver had staged Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 30 years ago in Bengaluru when he was a music teacher at Frank Anthony Public School. Now, he is bringing it back bigger and better than ever before. 'I've always wanted to bring out my version of this musical. There's nothing more challenging than taking a piece that has been so overused and transforming it completely,' says Kevin. Well, the upcoming musical has certainly piqued interest with news of its 100-strong, all-male choir ('Potiphar's wife is the only female part,' adds Kevin) and its spectacular dreamcoat doing the rounds. Written by Andrew Lloyd Webber with lyrics by Tim Rice, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat was first produced as a musical in 1972, and went on to become one of the most popular pieces to be staged, adapted and reimagined. Back to the beginning 'Bangalore', as Kevin remembers it, 'used to be a city of music and art' and he was quite active on its cultural scene. 'I studied under Savitha Yates (a popular theatre personality in Bengaluru during the '80s) who advised me to try every genre of theatre, before going into musicals.' The training has held him in good stead. And train he did. Apart from music, which he was always passionate about, Kevin combined his background of theatre and dance with choreography and fashion. Soon, Dubai came calling and though he was heading a music school there and staging productions, it was also where he got a chance to hone his fashion skills. 'I've worked with some amazing designers there such as Valentino, Dolce & Gabbana and Louis Vuitton, dressing the likes of Hugh Jackman, Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Andreas Bocelli, among others,' says Kevin. However, he adds, 'One of the most ambitious and beautiful things I created was a 1,000-strong, girls choir which went viral for their performance of AR Rahman's Vande Mataram.' Home again Kevin says despite being away from Bengaluru, he always felt the need to give back to the community that gave him his start. 'I roped in Oum Pradutt, a former student of mine, and this collaboration fell into place.' 'I had left Bengaluru 35 years ago and wasn't sure if singers of today would even want to be a part of this musical, but I had to try. Then, at the audition as many as 450 people turned up and though they were all wonderful, I had to choose 100 for the cast.' 'We've got a range of voices — from a bass to a countertenor — literally every sound you can get with singers aged between 16 and 60.' Apart from having an all-male cast, Kevin's Joseph stands out for having with nine narrators, instead of a single female voice as in the original. And of course, the dreamcoat which has generated quite a buzz. 'Two of my friends from Dubai, who've done amazing work in the field of fashion, lent me garments that suited the characters. The dreamcoat, designed by Michael Cinco and Furne One Amato, weighs over 21 kilograms. It is made with different fabrics and covered with Swarovski crystals. It's like a chandelier on a guy's back.' Kevin says he is doubtful whether the likes of Broadway or West End have done something as elaborate and fashion conscious as his reimagining of Joseph. 'I'm hoping people love it as much as I do,' he says, even as he admits the creation is what his mind's eye had conjured up as Joseph's coat of many colours, Full circle And Oum Pradutt, the former student Kevin roped in? As a schoolboy in Frank Anthony's, he played a part in Catch, a musical Kevin had presented. 'I had no idea about musicals at the time, but auditioned all the same. Kevin thought I was a better dancer than a singer,' laughs Oum. As part of the main cast, Oum performed in a string of shows in Mumbai too, and was again cast as a dancer in Joseph when it was produced, travelling with the troupe wherever they performed. 'It was an incredible experience to gain such an exposure at that age, and at a time when engineering and medicine were considered the only avenues for a career.' Apart from the thrill of the spotlight, Oum says the experience gave him a chance to observe Kevin and his style of working at close quarters. 'He would not only look at the costumes, makeup, music and choreography personally, but also be involved in areas such as prompts, props, light and design. It was amazing to see what happened on stage and behind the scenes. That stayed with me for the longest time.' Oum went on to found Phase I in 1995, blending his corporate expertise with his passion for the creative arts and entertainment. 'I credit the existence of my company, now in its 30th year to Kevin's musicals, so I was truly glad of the chance to collaborate with him on Joseph.' 'We both saw this as a chance to give back to this city,' says Oum, adding that though there are a lot of events taking place in Bengaluru, musicals are quite rare. Going by his own lived experience, Oum and Phase I are ensuring school children will get a chance to witness the magic of a musical with discounted tickets. 'In other parts of the world, schools send their students to such events, providing them with experiential learning rather a textbook one. We are also bringing students from the Karnataka Residential Educational Institutions Society (KREIS) to watch the show for free,' he says, adding theirs is a cause close to his heart. 'Growing up, I did not have such resources and if it were not for the exposure I gained at school, I would not be where I am today. Hopefully, these children too will be excited and inspired and pursue something amazing one day.' Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will be staged at Good Shepherd Auditorium on July 17, 18 and 19. Tickets from ₹999 on bookmyshow.
