During the shows spectators were given an 'opera book' containing the lyrics of the songs.
They got artists from Europe to paint the scenery, purchased stage machinery from England, and advertised 'Transformation Scenes' or 'Dissolving Views' through English style playbills. They adopted the European theatre traditions such as the use of the proscenium arch with its backdrop and curtains, western musical instruments, and western devices and props. It was further boosted by the fact that the Parsi proprietors would generously spend money on stage settings. Parsi theatre came to be known for its powerful acting. Madan, who joined the Club as a prop boy in 1868, went on to become a renowned producer and distributor of films and plays. This club, which later came to be known as the Elphinstone Theatre Company, was taken over by Jamshedji Framji Madan in 1883. Plays like Jedia Bhai - Adhle Beheru Kutavu (adapted from Comedy of Errors) and Kasrivaj na Karstan (adapted from Othello) published by Nanabhai Rustamji Ranina gained popularity in 1865. This club mainly performed adaptations of Shakespeare's plays because the majority of Parsi youth were educated by British teachers and were familiar with Shakespeare. The Club performed plays in English at the college on weekdays and on Saturday nights at the Grant Road Theatre. The Parsi Elphinstone Dramatic Club was founded by a Parsi student Kunvarji Sohrabji Nazir at the Elphinstone College. Gorakhadhanda (“A Labyrinth”), an adaptation of The Comedy of Errors by Narayana Betab in 1912 and Sher-Dil (The Tiger-Hearted), an adaptation of Othello by Najar Dehlvi in 1918 were extremely successful. Khawasji Khatau, known as the ‘Irwing of India’, established in 1877 the Alfred Theatrical Company which was known for staging Shakespearean adaptations.