If you took a list of the fictional personalities of the world who were both loved and hated at the same time, the man who would top that would probably be the famous English Sleuth, Sherlock Holmes. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most prized legacy, Holmes is ubiquitous in presence and synonymous with objectivity, focus, loyalty and intelligence. And he is never complete without his most trusted and loyal ally Dr. John Watson, who would kill for Holmes.
This year, Singapore gets a special treat thanks to the artistic genius of Anindita Ghosh, founder and festival director of Timeless Tales. Her latest offering “Kid Nabbed” is an adaptation of a Sherlock adventure set in the hippie 70s. The teaser has already floored us ever since it hit the internet. Ghosh has employed Middle East based artist Dheeraj Sugathan for poster and trailer production.
Much akin to the Timeless Tales theme of diversity and audacity of creative interpretation, Ghosh has assembled a stellar cast.
Sherlock Holmes is played by Indian author and actor, Sreyus Palliyani. Palliyani, who is a martial artist, debuted in the Singapore Theatre arena playing the God King Rama in the production Ramarasam (2018) in Gateway Theatre. He is no stranger to grey roles, as he had starred in the critically acclaimed web short A Woman’s Heart (2018). Sreyus has since written and starred in the multiple award-winning web short Duty (2018) directed by Anand Paga. Palliyani’s last on-screen outing was in award winning Singaporean director Shilpa Krishnan Shukla’s independent feature film, Kathaah@8 (2019), which is still completing its run at the tenth International Film Festival so far and has already amassed numerous awards. When asked for a comment, Sreyus stated, “This is my most challenging role till date, and one for which I have had to work really hard.”
Joining Palliyani, as his partner John Watson, is British stand-up comedian Stephen Lodge, who is known for his witty and quirky humour. Steve describes himself as a wandering minstrel from London and has published several short stories, plays and poems. He created the role of Jerry in the highly acclaimed Singapore theatre production Tides of 2050. Lodge is a Stand-up comedian who often performs in Singapore and a member of the Association of Comic Artists Singapore. He has appeared in TV shows, indie films and in the Hollywood blockbuster Hitman Agent 47. He describes the opportunity of John Watson as a role of a lifetime. He intends to bring a funny and endearing Watson to life with his portrayal of the daring army doctor. When PE asked Steve how he felt playing Watson, he replied, “Honoured and excited! Watson and I are very similar. Loyal, cheery and a bit of a buffoon… and we’re both very intelligent, except me.”
Much in line with Anindita Ghosh’s empowering spirit of the female, Inspector Lestrade’s shoes has been filled by British actress Heather Mullins, who was also part of Timeless Tales last year. Carolyn Camoens, Guru Venkatrao and Vaanya Gaarg play notable supporting roles in the production.
The massive crew includes notable names like Prashant Agarwal, Himanshu Motial, Sonia Joshi, Ritika Shravan, Uma Kalyani, Sharanya Kanteti, Mar Motial, Namrata Tiwari and Priti Raghavan. Ghosh herself has essayed a role in the production and has employed the talents of Assistant Directors Nidhi Chopra Khanna and Deepika Rajani.
Kid Nabbed premieres at the Goodman Arts Centre Singapore on the 14th of February 2020 as part of the Timeless Tales theatre festival, co-produced by Anindita Ghosh and Shalima Motial.
Tickets @ bit.ly/TimelessTales2020
