The need to ‘clean up’ their act
It’s time for reassessment for Underdog Entertainment after their play, Need for Weed,
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2014-10-19 23:12 GMT
Theatre group Underdog Entertainment was forced into learning some lessons after staging their play — Need for Weed. Touted as “India’s first stoned comedy comes to Hyderabad”. The group staged two shows on Friday; but trouble brewed within 10 minutes of the staging as an audience member took offence to the jokes and chose to leave. The altercation heated up when an argument ensued at the entrance regarding the refund. A theatre artiste herself, Suzanne Patel took to FB with her grouse, “A satire is meant to have irony and sarcasm... Not slapstick comedy and sick perverted jokes.”
Her post even questioned how the rest of the audience could take the jokes. While the group agreed with her observations, as well that the jokes on pregnancy, masturbation and “Tina’s paseena” were in bad taste, the incident has become a lesson for them.
Chaitanya Varad, who wrote the script, says, “We do have a policy of refund and we have refunded the ticket. As to bad behaviour on the part of group members, an apology was rendered.” He adds, “We have received bad feedback earlier as well and we are open to it. But it needs to be constructive.”
But the real issue of “clean comedy and sex jokes” still remains and the group is in the process of tackling it. “We have staged the play in Bengaluru and it had a good response. So we are wondering how we could change it to make it suitable for Hyderabad,” Chaitanya added.