NAPA's laughter fest will kick off with Crash Landing on January 3

At a press conference on Friday, the Nat­i­onal Academy of Per­forming Arts shared details about the Karachi Laughter Fest 2018 which begins on Jan 3.

The festival will kick off with the play Crash Landing on Jan 3 and 4 at the Zia Mohyeddin Theatre at 8pm.

Directed by Rauf Afridi, it is about a playboy, Jimmy, who is an architect based in Dubai. He is involved with three women, all stewardesses, and none of the women know about the other two, which is how Jimmy has designed it with the help of his live-in cook, Mamoo.

Rauf Afridi is a graduate of Napa. He has acted extensively with the Napa Repertory Theatre (NRT) and hosted the popular TV show Reporter Pakistani.

The cast of the play include Hammad Siddiqui (Mamoo), Rauf Afridi (Bashir), Aqsa Qur­­eshi (Zareena), Bani Mir­za (Nargis), Najma Kiyafat (Na­j­ma) and Hassan (Jimmy).

The next play is Kya Aap Pagal Hain by director Aqeel Ahmed and will be staged on Jan 5-6. The play is a classic romantic farce based on two couples and their desire to marry in the face of great parental opposition.

Nawab Sahib wants his daughter Mehr Bano to wed his nephew Naqi but Naqi loves Dilara and Mehr Bano wants to marry Zaki.

In their effort to convince Nawab Sahib, a series of misunderstandings ensues creating farcical situations of great mirth and chaos.

Aqeel Ahmed graduated from Napa In 2014. He has acted in number of plays at Napa including Khel Khel Mein, Zard Patton ka Ban, Raat, Juloos and Charmed Ring with American director Laquetta Carpenter.

Tickets are available at NAPA and Aghas.

Originally published in Dawn, December 30th, 2017