RENT! Cast at Prathyasha

So what is RENT! ...

For the uninitiated, RENT is a Tony and Pulitzer award winning Rock Opera, based on the lives of 8 artists affected by HIV and their struggle in coping with death, drugs, stigma from the society and a normal life. It is one of the longest running Broadway musicals which opened in the year 1996 and anyone who has watched the musical can reason why!

So we decided to bring it to Chennai. Why? Because everyone around us told us - 'Dont, it wont work in Chennai', 'Its too bold for our city', 'Its very tough to get such good talent'!. Now, we have roped in some really fresh talent, with a majority of the cast being first timers on stage. The shows would be staged on February 19th and 20th at Museum Theatre, Egmore at 2.30 pm and 7.00pm. We'll be putting up info soon on where you can buy the tickets! 

For our choir direction, Nadisha Thomas has very graciously agreed to don the role and as usual, music direction is under the purview of Shaun Roberts. The musical would be an adaptation, with both movie and play version merged to form Nicholas Productions' RENT! The rehearsals have been on full swing since the month of October and since the message is "Act Up. Fight AIDS", we decided to go a step further, and actually make a difference not just on-stage but otherwise as well.

And then came in Prathyasha - which is a home run by the Mellow Circle of Chennai. They house children affected and infected by HIV and it was an honor when they invited us to spend sometime with their kids. And we decided to do it the patriotic way - On the 62nd Republic Day!

Located around 25kms from Chennai, the home is really spic and span, colorfully decorated for the children with its own playground, dormitory, a cozy dinner hall and a toy room! The youngest tot was just 2 years old and the kids were so full of life despite being looked upon as 'different'! We had a whale of a time, sharing snacks, gifts, playing games, and being part of their joy and laughter for atleast that moment. We winded up the day singing the National Anthem and waved our goodbyes to those very special children....

There's only us... There's only this

Forget Regret... Or life is yours to miss

No other way... No other road...

No Day but Today!!!

One Year Up!

The tone of this article is going to more or less stoic. Why? I think it is because we’ve had way too much fun over the last one year. :) There has been tremendous learning for each and everyone involved in this journey of one year. We’ve been privileged to work with not only the very vivacious and prominent artists in the theatre and music fraternity but also with the budding and amateur youngsters, both talented and essential in our journey to take performing arts to a completely new dimension!

So to list down what it is that we have learnt over the last one year –

1. High Spirits!
Crucial element of any production is the how high your spirits are  :))… unless you are kicked and passionately drunk about what you are doing … well then don’t do it!

2. Audience is God.. Almost!
It is common knowledge that money can never be the driving force in theatre. And at the end of the day, after all the madness and work that goes into putting up a show, its outcome is determined not by your father in law or mother patting your back! Yes, press reviews about the show are great, but that is only if you can coax them into watching your show in the first place!
However when someone whom you’ve never seen in your life before, walks up to you with complete sense of respect and awe in their eyes, and tells you what a good job you’ve done, you are happy that you’re work has managed to touch someone! Never take your audience for granted! … It is also a different subject altogether that no matter what the outcome we have a blast at the cast party!

3. Pamper your team ..
Your team is your strength – pamper them all you can. I mean they are working their backsides off for OUR production, where at the end of the day OUR team gets most, if not all the credit for pulling it off… you can be firm with your team, but at the end of the day, you have to learn to love them and let them be. (If any of our team members are reading this, go practice your lines!!!!!)

4. Love and let love!
Theatre in Chennai is extremely tight knit, but the kind of talent and performances that are being put up by theatre groups from our city are phenomenal! There is so much to learn from each other, and healthy competition is a great thing; but then let’s face it – none of us really make a lot of money and even if we do, it’s more or less put in for the next production instead of getting a Jacuzzi installed in our private beach houses! So why the green eyes.. love and let love!

5. Infectiously ambitious…
A lot of folks have asked us how on earth did we manage to pull off so many good-quality (as vouched by the audience and press reviews also, and not father in laws or spouses) productions in a span of one year – 3 musicals, 4 concerts, a total of 7 productions! We are an extremely self-critical team and honestly, looking back, we could’ve been so much better at each stage however the failures have helped us grow multifold. At the end of the day, we’ve been insanely ambitious and have successfully managed to infect everyone around us to believe that anything is possible. Like someone said, the bigger the better …. !

Now we do sound like a self-help management book, so its time to wrap up this post. Thank you for supporting us over the last one year, and come watch our shows or even better, be a part of Creating Magic, coz we’ve got so many crazy things lined up! See you all in the coming years….

JUKEBOX - The Concert!!!

We've just about recovered from the exhiliration and excitement of a momentous achievement of being the first production group to stage two musicals back to back over one weekend - and our director Denver decides to have a full fledged two day music concert ONLY 2 months later!!! Well, we said, bring it on! Thus, with pure passion for music and theatre as our energy source, we present to you JUKEBOX! ...


Yes, all you Country song and Rock ballad lovers who are just tired of listening to them play on TV or on your Ipod, watch your favourite numbers being belted out live on stage! And not just that, you will get to see some of the finest musicians on Chennai come together for this unique concert! To be held on November 6th and 7th, @ Museum Theatre - the first day would feature numbers exclusively from New Age Country Music with artists like Alan Jackson,Brad Paisley, Faith Hill, Amy Mcdonald, Merle Haggard and more. and the second day (Nov 7th) would feature Rock Ballad with cult artists like Queen, Heart, Foreigner, Scorpions, Prince & the Revolution.. and no we are not going to give you the entire lot of artists 'coz you are just going to have to come and watch the shows!


So grab your tickets today @ 99401 95883 and rock yourselves to an awesome weekend in November!!


See ya all soon :)

Fairytales never end...!

To put up 4 shows, with 2 completely different musicals, a total of 40 songs, live band, a total cast of 40 people to be managed, over 30 different types of costumes for all the shows, different sets for each show, and less than 3 hours to change the entire stage sets and hall designs.... and on top of that with no electricity and everything run on generators throughout the day ... PHEW!!!

Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella opened full house to one of the most supportive audiences who despite the sultry climate and power cuts stayed on till the end of the shows ... and we are immensely grateful for that. The little ones who showed up for the show clearly loved every element of the fairytales with their adorable cheering and hoots and giggles to give us the sense of satisfaction and achievement. And all this was possible only because of the sheer support and cooperation from everyone in the cast and crew, despite having to fumble around backstage in the dark and have costumes and makeup done on stage in the nick of time! It was a beautiful harmony of effort, hard work and faith of each person who was part of this production.

Chennai loved the fairytale weekend and we had a blast performing... Nicholas Productions is coming to you soon with more entertainment.. a musical ... a concert.. maybe both... but for now RENT it is!!!!

(Pictures will be put up soon.. so do watch this space)

Teaser Poster - Fairytale Weekend

To a weekend of drama, pumpkins, fairy godmothers, a beast, soulful music, a glass shoe... above all... magic!

REWIND - To the age of 60's and 80's music!!!

It is time for Chennai to sway to music they haven't heard in a really long time! When was the last time you watched songs of Engelbert, Bangles, Status Quo or 4 Non-blondes performed? .. Well think no more, coz Nicholas Productions wants to get quirky yet again and we've decided to put up a two day show for you die-hard 60s and 80s music fans. And which is precisely why we've called our show REWIND - to the Golden Age of 60's music and 80's Classic Rock!!!!

Sneak peak of artists we'd be performing - Cliff Richards (obviously!!), Engelbert Humperdinck, Willie Nelson, Dean Martin, Merle Haggard, Bangles, Pussycat, Lynrd Skynrd, Jethro Tull, Dire Straits, CCR, Electric Light Orchestra... phew!!!!! Both shows would be performed at Museum Theatre, Chennai on July 31st and August 1st. The first show July 31st would feature exclusive numbers from the 60's and August 1st would have Classic Rock numbers so audiences can pick their day!

We also have some really neat performers lined up - Freddy Koikaran, Cary Edwards, Anisha Verghese, Mridhula Sekar, Sandeep John, Yohan Chacko... and many more! The shows are produced by Denver Anthony Nicholas, with music arranged and directed by Shaun Roberts from Molotov Cocktail and vocals arranged and directed by Anisha Verghese from Subject to Change. We really have pumped in some awesome talent to this concert so pick up your tickets today!!

Tickets for each show are priced at 350, 250 and 150 so call 98840-93510 to get yours today!

Two Fairytales Over One Weekend!!!

The first question on everyone's mind when Nicholas Productions declared that it would be staging two musicals back to back over one weekend - Are you guys crazy? Well isn't that what they all say when you are attempting something for the first time ever! Yes, this is indeed the first time in the country that two fairytale musicals with an all-live performance with orchestra on stage would be performed over one weekend. "Beauty & the Beast" and "Cinderella" would be staged during the first weekend of September, in Museum Theatre in Chennai. Rehearsals have already begun full-swing for both productions and while "Beauty & the Beast" would be an adaptation of the Broadway musical, "Cinderella" is a brain-child of Denver, with popular music fused into a stage version of the fairytale.

The production team has set the ball rolling for sponsorship for both the shows; yes, this is definitely high ticket but the team is proud of roping in impressive talent from the fields of music and theatre in Chennai.

We will be posting pictures and videos of the rehearsals and how the musicals are coming along, so watch this space!