By Ayman Munaf

If you were wandering around the Karachi Arts Council recently, chances are you heard loud laughter echoing through the auditorium. It was the opening night of Monkey Business, the latest theatrical venture by Yasir Hussain — who wears multiple hats here as the writer, director, and lead actor. The play was a clever mix of farce, satire, and classic Karachi-style comedy that had the audience in stitches from start to finish.

At the centre of the chaos is Wasim (played by Yasir Hussain himself), a struggling actor whose glory days are behind him. He’s married to Sana (Yusra Irfan), a fiery, no-nonsense painter whose temper can be as bold as her brushstrokes. Adding to the mix is their tenant, Sherry (Umer Alam), an aspiring thespian with big dreams and a flair for drama.

Things start to spiral when Wasim receives a call from a stern-sounding representative (Bilal Yousufzai) from the Arts Council, investigating the disability funds Wasim’s been receiving. In a panic, Wasim stages an elaborate ruse, pretending to suffer from a physical ailment — complete with crutches and a limp. Meanwhile, news of a recent escape from a local asylum adds an unexpected layer of confusion to an already tangled web of lies and misunderstandings.

What follows is classic farce: mistaken identities, disguises, and even some impromptu dance numbers. Wasim and Sherry end up donning women’s clothes and shaking a leg to popular desi tunes in an attempt to keep their ruse alive.

Yasir Hussain’s performance as Wasim is a masterclass in comic timing. He’s at ease on stage, shifting effortlessly between the grounded and the ridiculous. Yusra Irfan holds her own as the fierce and feisty Sana, while Umer Alam’s Sherry brings an endearing goofiness that balances out the trio. Bilal Yousufzai, though in a supporting role, adds the perfect tension needed to push the story forward.

Visually and tonally, the play pays tribute to Karachi’s vibrant theatre scene from the 1980s and ’90s — a time when dance numbers, double entendres, and larger-than-life characters were all part of the fun. And while Monkey Business may feel nostalgic, it never feels dated. It uses the old tricks with a new flair.

There’s something refreshing about a play that doesn’t take itself too seriously, yet knows exactly what it wants to say. Monkey Business is that kind of experience. It was not here to preach or provoke deep reflection but to make you laugh until your sides hurt. But in doing so, it also gently nudge you to think about the trials of creative professionals, the absurdities of bureaucracy, and the fine line between reality and performance. In a world often too grim for its own good, Yasir Hussain delivers a much-needed dose of joy — chaotic, clever, and wonderfully theatrical.

By Imran Shirvanee

A five-week cultural festival, the largest of its kind in recent times, was held at the Arts Council of Pakistan Karachi, where participants from 20 countries graced the city and presented theatre plays and musical performances. Arts Council had earlier announced a national theatre festival to be held in October, which then culminated into an international festival of not only theatre but also dance and music.

The festival began at the end of September continuing into the first week of October. Musicians from five countries joined hands to perform at the inauguration ceremony with Rwandans, South Africans, Nepalese, Azerbaijanis and Pakistani musicians presenting a scintillating music experience for the audience.

The following two days, Lahore’s Olomopolo Media staged an experimental play White Rabbit, Red Rabbit, enacted first by Nadia Jamil, and the next day by Sarmad Khoosat. This experiment was a success as both actors did a commendable job giving their versions. On the weekend, a mega concert was held with different performers from the same five countries presenting their music. This was followed by a theatre play by the Kosovan group, Art Per Art. The play, Waiting for Train, had a packed audience. Rwandan Mashirika Performing Art and Media Company presented their play, Generation 25, also on the same day.

Pakistani, Rwandans, South Africans and Azerbaijani artists presented a dance for peace. This fusion of various dance forms was a very inspiring experience for the audience. Theatre play, Karachi ka bichhu, a farce by Khalid Ahmed who wrote and directed the play was followed by Khwaja Moin’s Taleem-e Balighan, modernized by Farhan Alam in a 2.0 format the next day. Another comedy, Slaver: Aaj ki taza khabar, followed. The next day a puppet show was presented called, The Devil/Le Diable, followed by another puppet show from Italy by Nina Theatre Put your heart into it. This play was shown twice in the festival. Bazelah Mustafa’s play, V-gen …error 404: not found, was staged later. This was a bold play and thus marked 18+ for the audience. Japanese theatre play, Are you lovin it, was staged by Theatre Group Gumbo, directed by Kayo Tamura.

Another mega festival showcasing work from Pakistani and Ukrainian musicians was presented, the next day, followed by a Qawwali night, featuring Fareed Ayaz and Abu Muhammad Qawwals.

Play, Suicide Incorporated a satire was well received by the viewers followed by another Pakistani play, Clue, which was also popular within the audience. Sri Lankan Stage Theatre Group staged a play called, Patterns of our genocide. Written by Ali Johar and Amal de Chickera, the play was directed by acclaimed Sri Lankan director, Ruwanthie de Chickera. The tagline of the play said it all: from Rohingya to Palestine. Shahnawaz Bhatti’s play, Chaturaee, staged next was a social commentary. Bhatti who is good at directing social plays proved his mettle with this presentation.

Mazhar Noorani and Syed Muntazir adapted and directed the next theatrical experience, 39 steps, with two days of dance returning to the stage but in the form of a play about a dancer. Mi Raqsam by Iftikhar Akram was a choreographed storytelling, inspired by stories of artists that exist all around us. Indian author Javed Siddiqi’s Saalgirah was presented in Sindhi. Directed by Paras Masroor who also acted in it, the play created a magic of its own. Tehrik-e Niswan presented Ibsen’s A Doll’s House as Guriya ka ghar, a thought provoking play.

The last week of the festival started with a comedy play, Khwabon ki nautanki. It was written by Babar Jamal and directed by Uzma Sabin. Russian Lidia Kopina Company presented Road, a dance performance that mesmerized everybody. No world cultural experience can be complete without mentioning the Bard and so, Shakespeare’s Fool was the next show. Directed by British artistic director Maren Scott, the presentation was well received by the audience.

A fusion of German and Pakistani music, Berlin nach Lahore was next. Ashraf Sharif Khan on sitar, Christoph Reuter on keyboards, and Thomas Rudigar on percussion proved that music knows no boundaries. There were German, Egyptian, and Pakistani plays towards the end of the festival along with some musical performances too. The festival was dominated by theatre shows compared to music performances, but the end result made it a complete cultural experience. Also, notable was the fact that most of the Karachi performances had graduates from the National Academy of Performing Arts-NAPA in them.

Kudos to Arts Council’s President Ahmed Shah and his team for conceiving such a brilliant programme, executed on such a huge scale without any glitches.

By Imran Shirvanee

The Walled City of Lahore Authority’s Cultural Troupe gave a thoroughly entertaining performance at the National Academy of Performing Arts (NAPA) for four evenings, recently.

The show on Day One began with a welcome address by Napa’s CEO Junaid Zuberi. Former senator and board member of the academy Javed Jabbar, who had conceptualized the programme said, “The credit for making NAPA goes to the federal and provincial governments as citizens of Pakistan are able to benefit from the extraordinary standards of teaching, guidance of individual development and other fields such as cinema, television etc., without often being acknowledged,” said Mr. Jabbar. He also introduced and praised Kamran Lashari, the man behind the troupe.

Two show-reels were shown about the work done by the Walled City of Lahore Authority followed by Kamran Lashari’s speech. He said he didn’t know what made Mr. Jabbar showcase the talent of his group in a city like Karachi. “We have 12 gates in Lahore so thank you for opening those gates. I’m delighted and overwhelmed because I’m the guy who’s carried Sindh inside me all my life. It was instant love. The romance with Sindh began as soon as I got into civil service. I landed in Umerkot in District Tharparkar for my first 18 months of service. I was instantly attracted to the culture. Then I stayed in Sindh for about nine years – Thatta, Karachi West and the last posting in Sukkur. This flame for culture in me was ignited by Sindh, most of all the District of Tharparkar.” Mr Lashari then spoke on the projects that he undertook after retirement, before the performances.  

The first act presented a kathak dance by the father-daughter duo Zakarya and Jessica Iqbal. It was a traditional rendition of the teen taal beat done with perfect moves. The show was further elevated with the lively presentation by folk artiste Fazal Jatt who appeared on stage with a group of musicians, a dhol player to his right and a chimta player on his left, flanked by four dancers. He used the form of storytelling with impressive vocals and rhythmic patterns, singing the famous tale of Sohni-Mahival. His presentation was extremely popular with the audience. Continuing in the same style, he sang ‘Chhalla’ and rounded off his segment with ‘Lok Boliyan’ with the audience clapping rhythmically to its lively beat. The second half of the programme constituted of vibrant performances introduced to the audience by Sabahat Rafiq. The final item of the evening was a dhamaal by Saeen Abbas.

Day Two had a different audience with underprivileged school children participating. They were so involved in the performances that they danced to the tunes by Fazal Jatt and the dhammal that was generated by Saeen Abbas with his dhol team, bringing joy to the organizers.

The last two days were open for the general public. Again, the hall was brimming with guests but there was a slight change in the programme: Fazal Jatt came immediately after the father-daughter duo’s kathak performance, and generated so much energy that at the end of the entire show, it was only natural that he made a re-entry for another performance. Karachi was indeed enthralled and awed by the zestful presentation of Walled City Troupe.