What I saw at JTPAC!

Mommy and Me- 2 super- excited souls atop our Honda Activa were driving towards JTPAC and we could feel the music in our ears (in a very positive way, dear!). We rushed to the parking area at the Choice School premises and rushed to wherever we thought was the theatre (We, probably, were the only ones on a 2 wheeler. It did not make good sense to us to take the car out for a 2 km distance, that too just for d 2 of us at 7 in the evening!)

We were asked to go down a long corridor and at the end of the corridor was the large dining area. The tables were very well set and the furniture was covered very well in white, satin cloth! Dont worry, am not talking food now coz neither was I a special guest nor had I purchased the 1750 bucks ticket which will allow me entry to dinner.

Just before the well set dining area, we had to take a left turn and take the stairs up. Beside the stairs was this beautiful lawn with a nicely lit fountain and whirlpool! The stairs took us to the lobby of the theatre and we were supposed to collect the passes after providing the confirmation number at the box office. There was a cafeteria right in the middle of the lobby selling burgers, sandwiches, chips and soda. We did not bother to look that way since food was simply not of interest to us that evening! On either side of the lobby, we saw the beautiful art gallery with lots of paintings and sculptures- could not check all of them out though.

The entrance to the theatre was at either end of the gallery. Since we had chosen row AA (second from the end) we had to take the door at the back of the gallery and take another flight of stairs up. The stairs took us right upto the gate of the theatre and within a moment, we were inside the theatre!

To say that it was world class would be an understatement. The first thing that we appreciated was the air conditioner- considering the kind of blistering heat outside! The seats were comfy and the upholstery was fabulous. The 28 rows of seats (20 seats in each row) were each at the next level in terms of height which meant unobstrusive view of the stage. There was a camera hanging right in the middle, attached to a crane, which could be controlled from one of the media stands, one each at either side of the theatre. There was sort of a projector room at the rear of the theatre where from the acoustics was also controlled.

The lighting at the theatre was tastefully done and the quality of sound could not be better. The CD that was playing was the "Sankarabharanam" raaga on violin and it was so soothing to the ears. We settled down into our chairs with the monthly magazine that was handed over to us at the BO. It had details of the programmes scheduled for the month, some information on the important tourist attractions of the state and the recipes for some of the lip smacking dishes that Kerala state was famous for! (You can take food out of Sreeram, but not Sreeram out of food, ryt?)

The magazine was also as tastefully done as the theatre itself. The stage was also very well lit and the lighting team did a good job with adjusting the light all through the show. We were pleasantly surprised at the number of the rich and famous of the city who attended the show and I was particularly surprised that people had enough time at their disposal to concenterate so much on their appearance! But then not most of them are as careless (and shapeless!) as I am when it comes to choosing what to wear!

In spite of being slightly heavy on one's wallet, JTPAC is the kind of theatre that will leave the audience craving for more! I suppose I am going to be a regular there- the artistes are fabulous, the theatre is fantabulous and the audience is formidable- and that means, you are going to read a lot more about the programs I attend. So, keep your fingers crossed just as I am doing right now...