Play It Again, Gaiety

There was a time when Gaiety Theatre in Shimla would be filled with East India Company officials. Prithviraj Kapoor performed here.

There was a time when Gaiety Theatre in Shimla would be filled with East India Company officials. Prithviraj Kapoor performed here.

Young Rudyard Kipling appeared in Sardou’s A Scrap of Paper. But, with the British leaving, and later, a fire, 122-year-old Gaiety was relegated to a mere landmark. But now, resplendent in its new avatar, the theatre opened to the public last week. Ved Segan, credited with the design of Prithvi Theatre, restored this historic theatre. Care was taken by Ved’s team not to interfere with the Gothic-style architecture. The theatre can hold 500 people in its auditorium, while the hall on the first floor will be able to seat 200 people.

A Scrap of PaperGaietyRudyard Kipling