'... not only beautifully spoken by beautiful voices, but exuding such joy in the doing as to raise the spirits'. HP Raimes, Times of India. 'Even though the practice of listening to radio plays vanished in India by the early 1990s it takes little effort to sit through an hour and a half of this Shakespeare. Director Willi Richards draws out remarkably natural performances from his actors'. Pronotti Datta Time Out Mumbai

The Two Gentlemen of Valasna was Preview Choice in The Guardian, The Independent, Radio Times, The Times and The Telegraph. It was selected for BBC Radio 4's Pick of the Week.

THE TWO GENTLEMEN OF VALASNA

Drama on 3, BBC Radio 3

The Two Gentlemen of Valasna adapted for radio from The Two Gentlemen of Verona by Roger James Elsgood and Willi Richards transposes Shakespeare’s early romantic comedy from pre-risorgimento Italy to neighbouring Princely States in British India in the days leading to India’s first war of independence, ‘the Indian mutiny’ of 1857. The production was recorded entirely on location in Maharashtra India, with an all-Indian cast including Anu Menon, Avantika Akerkar and Suchitra Pillai with Nadir Khan and Arghya Lahiri in the title roles. The music is by the award-winning slide guitarist Debashish Bhattacharya.

Adaptation by Roger James Elsgood and Willi Richards
Directed by Willi Richards
Produced by Roger James Elsgood

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