_d.png "Independence Day 2025")
Storytelling, mentalism and magic come together in a humorous online play about a woman who is being pressured into getting married
Suhani Shah interacts with the audience
A scene from the play
During the play, Shah slips in mentalism games and magic tricks to further the story. For instance, she says, "There-s a conversation between the best friend, Sonam, and I about what qualities I-d want in a husband. I say that I had written it in a letter and go to find it, during which Sonam asks the audience what qualities they think I will like. We open up the comments section for the audience while I-m not in the scene. When I come back, I find the letter, which had been at my desk all along. The letter has the exact qualities that the audience recommended, although I never see the comments."
The format is tricky, they admit. "I think the blend of the art forms is seamless as they needed each other. The moment you weave magic into a storytelling format, it changes it into an experience for the audience," elaborates Mirza Prabhu, who brought her expertise at doing online storytelling shows to the table. Is doing mentalism in a digital space difficult, we ask. "Of course, it took me three to four digital shows to find out what was working. As mentalists, we rely so much on the body language of the participant, and now, they are miles away. The trick is to modify the performances to cater to the digital audience," Shah asserts.
Mehak Mirza Prabhu and Suhani Shah
The feedback has been great so far, they tell us. This is possibly because they were very clear from the start that this wasn-t going to be just another performance that people "watch". "They can watch a high-definition video on YouTube. The audience had to be a part of Suhani-s story," they tell us. That-s the magic.
On June 20, 5 pm
Log on to insider.in
Cost Rs 499
Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and a complete guide from food to things to do and events across Mumbai. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates.
Mid-Day is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel @middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest news
Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!
