The Mousetrap is a classic Christie play, that has a bunch people staying at a hotel, suddenly cut off from the world by a blizzard. As the play progresses, you realize that one of them may or may not be a wanted killer. In classic Christie fashion, there are a number of red herrings, a murder and a grand finale where the murderer is unmasked. Originally a radio play, it was later adapted for the stage, and has been staged all over the world.

The version I saw was based in the 1970′s with the characters infused with the flavors of the 70′s, and the atmosphere charged with some great (and not so great) 70′s tracks. As far as the story goes, the adaptation followed the original bringing the same air of mystery that Christie’s books embody.

However, in terms of the production value the play was just short of a complete disaster. Lets start with the sound. While the music played brilliantly well, the sound from the microphones on stage wasn’t always audible. Like the splotchy heating of the rooms in the play, the actors seemed to be almost inaudible from some corners of the stage, while they could be heard quite well from other parts of the stage.

Next is the lighting. It seemed like the lighting man almost always put the spotlight right next to where the actor was standing/ sitting (rather than on). I don’t know if that was deliberate, but it did happen with alarming regularity. Also the lights seemed to arbitrarily dim and brighten, sometimes with no relation to what was happening on stage. The curtains seemed to be a bit slow in moving. They didn’t lift until the actor on stage had gotten through some lines, and before the interval it seemed like they hurriedly closed, leaving people bewildered as to whether it was an intermission or not.

Lastly, the acting. The acting seemed very amateurish, of the school play variety, hardly the kind you expect to see in a professional production. To the actors credit, the characters of Christopher Wren and Mrs. Boyle were well etched out and these two characters were quite memorable. The actress who played Mrs. Mollie Ralston (Sonali I think her name was) also did a good job (not to mention provided some much needed eye candy) . But the rest of the  cast went from being a harsh nuisance on the ears to just about tolerable. It got so grating that at one point of time I actually wished that they would just play the Jimi Hendrix track “Along the watchtower” instead of acting on stage.

In the end, what could have been a great mystery play ended up being a weak caricature of itself, plagued by problems in almost all areas. The audience seemed to also find the play unintentionally funny, with sporadic bursts of laughter erupting at some serious moments.

Would I recommend this? Well, the play does definitely have its moments, especially in scenes just before the interval which show glimpses of the brilliant play it could have been. So,  I’d say go for it if you are a Christie fan, you might just find it entertaining. But if you are the kind that likes guaranteed entertainment then avoid at all costs.

Finally after much waiting, the day of the play finally dawned. The afternoon was filled with sounds of thundering and the sky lit up with celestial fireworks, threatening to rain out the evening. However, good weather held and we were able to reach NCPA without a single drop of rain falling in our way. After waiting, we were finally let into the Experimental Auditorium at NCPA. NCPA experimental has no fixed seating and its generally first come first serve. So being early we were able to get a seat in the third row from the front.  And then finally the curtain rose on the play.

The play is a tragicomedy about two tramps who are waiting at an unnamed location for someone called Godot. Godot, the mysterious titular character of the play, never comes on stage and is simply alluded to during the course of the play. Nothing much happens during the entire play (twice) and the play can be thought of as an exercise in absurdity (in a good way). It does however have some funny moments as well as some bordering on deep pathos with a lot of dark humor thrown in as well. The play is widely regarded as the most significant play written in the 20th century.

The play, I suspect probably has several interpretations and is not what meets the eye. Several allusions to religion and religious iconography are made during the course of the play, including one where Godot is referred to as a white bearded person, kind of like the traditional image of a benevolent white-bearded God.

The acting is absolutely first rate. Both Benjamin Gilani and Naseeruddin Shah are superb on stage, as are the other members of the cast. The play also stars Akash Khurana, Randeep Hooda and Yannick Shetty Menon.

I had a great time watching the play in the company of some old friends and I’d definitely recommend it. That being said I don’t think the play would appeal to everyone. Do see it though, if you don’t mind a bit of tragedy with your laughs.  I think NCPA’s blurb for the play which has this quote by Harold Hobson very aptly describes the play,

Go and see Waiting for Godot. At the worst you will discover a curiosity, a four-leaved clover, a black tulip; at the best, something that will securely lodge in a corner of your mind for as long as you live.

Waiting for Godot can be caught at B. N. Vaidya Hall,  Dadar on 19th September at 8:00 pm.

The play can be summed up in one word – weird. The plot does have some of it’s high moments and some really funny ones too. However there are many cases when gags are overdone, and some others where the dialogue is far to arcane. Also some of the violence on stage is quite raw. While this is actually well acted out, if you have never experienced violence on stage, you may find the experience a bit jarring. The ending was in my opinion very good from a lighting and photography perspective. All in all, a decent play, not all that great.

Anyway, have to log off now, got to head out early tomorrow.

Tomorrow is going to be an hectic day, since there is a “trek” with my classmates.

The acting and direction were top-notch and the comic timing excellent. Like “C for Clown”, this play too had impromptu interaction with the audience, adding to the whole charm of the play. While watching the play, though kept remembering Heath Ledger’s “Joker”. I guess after “It“, Ledger’s made the clown fashionable again.

Do catch this play at Prithvi (It’s on till the 28th of this month), it will be an evening well spent. And to conclude in the words of the clown prince:

… all this and much more, I can deliver. And the rest is silence.

While it is entertaining and funny, it also brings about some serious social themes like the differences between rural and urban India, racism and sexist behavior, homophobia and the ugly streak that competition seems to bring out in people. The only thing I didn’t like about the play was that it used way too much profanity. In fact I figure that I have heard the F word used more in this one play than in all the plays I have seen over the last three years. Still in-spite of this it is definitely quite entertaining and worth a watch.

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