Season after season, Aadyam Theatre, a pioneering theatre initiative by the Aditya Birla Group, doesn’t just stage perfect finales–it orchestrates crescendos. So, it is fitting that the finale of the seventh season is a deliciously maximal and absurdist comedy, The Horse by Sunil Shanbag. After a riotous debut in Mumbai, the play is galloping back to the maximum city on 27th & 28th September 2025, at the Jamshed Bhabha Theatre, NCPA.
The programming arc of the Aadyam Theatre this season has had a confluence of some of the most bold storytelling formats. It took the audience on a journey with edge-of-the-seat thrillers, like Saanp Seedhi, to exuberant dance musicals like Mumbai Star. Ending the season with The Horse, an adaptation of a scathing satire as a musical comedy, is the perfect celebration of the seventh season, which is marked by creative innovation.
The Horse Is The Season’s First Out-And-Out Comedy
Sunil Shanbag’s The Horse is the play of the season. The seventh season had it all, a coming of-age thriller, a musical spectacle, and exquisite adaptations. So, an out-and-comedy seems the perfect conclusion to a dynamic season. Being a full-throttle comedy, The Horse is an irreverent take on Caligula’s Rome, where institutions erode, sycophants thrive, and absurdity rules.
The Horse Is A Masterfully Crafted Adaptation
This season’s adaptations successfully created milieus, some in their original form and some reimagined. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time set Mark Haddon’s immersive world in the bustling city of Mumbai. While Purva Naresh set the pensive text of White Nights in a lively foreground of a dance musical.
Now, this hidden gem of a satire gets a reimagining through a contemporary lens of our own celebrity worship culture and political absurdities. It perfectly honours the European origin of the text in this rare adaptation by Sunil Shanbag.
Exquisitely Designed Sets And Carefully Curated Wardrobe
Aadyam Theatre aims to create an authentic experience for the audience. Along with well etched characters, interesting narratives, and subjects, the plays this season stood out for their intricately designed sets and exquisite costumes. Sunil Shanbag, known for his meticulous and innovative approach to staging a production, has made sure to create an authentic Roman setting.
For the same, he roped in ace production designer Kushal Mahant, turning the stage into a Roman court while balancing grandeur with theatricality.
The cast seamlessly transforms into aristocrats, courtiers, and common citizens, courtesy of acclaimed designer Marvin D’Souza’s period pieces–tunics, togas, and stolas that perfectly capture the style and elegance of ancient Rome.
A Sonic Odyssey
If Chandni Raatein leaned on music to portray love, desire, and heartache, Mumbai Star used music as a vehicle to take the audience on a joyous ride to witness Dev’s cathartic journey.
Sunil Shanbag also brought rhythm to this Roman madness by infusing music and dance, adding more substance to this gnarly tale! The renowned voice artist and lyricist, Asif Ali Beg, has penned lyrics with music composition by Kaizad Gherda.
The Horse leverages music for satire. To maintain the absurdity of the show, the production has turned moments of love, chaos, and blind loyalty into comic musical set pieces.
A Stellar Cast
With over 1,000+ hours of rehearsals and a 250+ member crew, The Horse, along with some ace technicians and crew, boasts a stellar line-up of actors.
At its centre is Akash Khurana’s unpredictable Caligula, matched with Neil Bhoopalam’s youthful Selanus. And an ensemble of some of India’s most versatile stage actors – Harssh Singh, Rajat Kaul, Rozzlin Pereira, Deesh Mariwala, Radhika Sawhney, and more – bringing Rome’s courtiers, schemers, and lovers to vivid life.
As the seventh season ends on a high note with a thought-provoking comedy, Aadyam Theatre will continue its endeavour to bring some authentic and experimental storytelling to life with a new season soon. A new dawn, a new chapter, but the same grit to back world class Indian theatre. Stay tuned!
