I went because my friends acted in it. Tuffy (Darius Taraporvala) and Prem (Koshy). They always come to my shows. It’s like that among friends. Tit for tat. You come to my gig and I’ll come to yours.

But while it may be hard to drum up an audience if you’re a jazz singer, it’s clearly not the case if you’re under the bright lights in the big city they call Bangalore.

It was a musical comedy whodunit called ‘Curtains’ at the Chowdiah, on a windy August night as it turned into a rainy September.

Every year, at around this time, Bangaloreans pile into our most famous auditorium to see what Laila Alvares (the director) has been up to. And every year she puts on a great show. But I think this year with ‘Curtains,’ she has surpassed herself.

Alvares, who seems to have deep pockets of never ending energy to pull together these annual musical extravaganzas doesn’t make any money; neither do the cast or crew or musicians for that matter. But that doesn’t stop anyone from delivering the best they’ve got.

The entire cast was delightful. The singing, the dancing, the costumes, the choreography and the direction.

But the surprise of the night for me was Charles Hayward, who as it turns out is an American voice-over artist living in Bangalore. His singing was absolutely enchanting and his speaking voice was equally natural and unaffected.

I may have gone to the play to show solidarity, but from the moment the third bell rang until the curtains finally closed, it was sheer joy.

I was disappointed only because the play ended.

Can’t wait till next year.