One week - two plays

1. Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues (Directed by Mahabanoo Mody Kotwal) - an education (for some) and wrenching (for many). Unashmedly I enjoyed this play. And I say unashamedly because many a man next to me squirmed uncomfortably when we were asked to say the v-word out loud and all the times when 'vagina' was repeatedly yodelled on stage. Yippee!

Enacted by five artists (some like Jayati Bhatia who was stellar and some like Dolly Thakore who was a letdown), interspersed with jarring facts about the female ignorance, sexuality and brutality, this monologue is entertaining from start to finish. Of course, it is mandatory that you do not get not sqeamish, queasy or even prudish while watching it.

The monologue starts off on a cheeky note, about how there are no vaginas in Chennai and therefore must be full of a%$^*&^%, gets howlers from the word go. Four stories that have emerged from research conducted with women , primarily about their sexuality. Macabre in turns, funny at other corners, this play is a liberating experience.

Go see it!

2. Mis sing People (Directed by Zubin Driver) Four stories - some new cast members and a general experimental feel to it, its an interesting watch. The original play(I think) had three stories but the one I saw had a fourth tale as well and am still trying to understand the subtext of that.

'Giggles' done by Shikha Makan, still escapes me. The other three stories were very good with Karla Singh's relationship with the washing machine done in a very evocative style while Nikhil Rao's Stump is perhaps the most memorable. Of course Brandon Hill's "Nothingness" is also full of poignant moments. "Nobody wants to listen to No's song about nothing.." Powerful words those.. (or at least I think thats what they were)

Its experimental feel lent a certain unrealism to it but for theatre enthusiasts, it can still be a memorable experience. Its short, can be crisper and can get tiring in parts. Highlight is certainly the Karla morphing sequence - one the best play of light and drama enmeshed I have seen in a long time.

Worth a dekko from some stuff that is not run-of-the-mill.