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With gay abandon
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Kaushik Shankar feels Bangalore is ready for a play that openly discusses the question of alternative sexuality
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PHOTO: BHAGYA PRAKASH K.
ALL ENCOMPASSING Kaushik Shankar: `The play has universal appeal and represents the entire gay landscape'
On the one hand, you have playwright Dan Butler, best known for his testosterone-powered role on the hit comedy Frasier. In real life, Butler is openly gay, and has even penned a play on the various facets of homosexuality titled The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me. Billed as a "whirlwind tour of the gay American landscape, this acclaimed play borrows its title from Butler's dad's first response when he came out: `The only worse thing you could have told me is that you were dead.'"
On the other is young Bangalorean actor and director, Kaushik Shankar. You might remember him from plays such as Blue Room and sex, lies and videotape. You might also remember that despite attempts at "cleaner" plays, his associations with risqué material stand out the most.
Now, the two come together as Kaushik performs Butler's play daring one-man show for the first time anywhere outside the U.S., right here in namma Bengaluru. Produced by Acethetik and directed by his long-time friend and co-performer Sherry Monani, the play presents a series of 14 vignettes that discusses almost every aspect of being gay. "Almost every form of being gay is depicted here. You've got the drag queen, the raging queen, the cynical critic (imagine Simon Cowell being gay), and the gay straight man... There are also conversations with mom, a 50-year-old man talking about his first crush and so on," says Kaushik. Every character, he explains, contradicts and contrasts the other, and none of them are set in stone.
Kaushik describes the play as an out-and-out laugh riot that uses humour to take the audience under its wing and make people comfortable with the idea of a gay lifestyle. "The play doesn't aim at creating a movement; it doesn't tell you to go out and start off a gay pride parade. It only asks people to be less judgmental, that's all."
Despite its non-confrontational nature, Kaushik still has second thoughts about the performance. However, he feels "it's about time" to stage a play like this. After all, Bangalore has begun to wake up to theatre on the edge, especially since plays such as Vagina Monologues. "And it's the queer year at the Oscars." On a personal level, Kaushik is driven by the feeling that staging this play is part of his responsibility to gay men coming out of the closet.
Another issue that both actor and director had to think long about was whether to Indianise the play. "We were initially wondering if we should make one of the characters Indian." But purists may rest assured, no such thing will happen. "The play has universal appeal, and it represents the entire gay landscape. It isn't trying to put things into one context; it isn't about being gay in the U.S. or in India. These are questions all gay people come up against and have to start with."
The Only Thing... also represents a role reversal for Kaushik and director Sherry. "Usually Sherry's the actor and I'm the one directing. But this time she's in charge." Kaushik says he only finds it fitting, however, since the production has been possible only due to her efforts. "Sherry was the one who scouted around for a play like this and convinced me to do it."
The Only Thing Worse You Could Have Told Me is being performed on April 7 at Guru Nanak Bhavan at 7.30 p.m. Tickets are priced at Rs. 125 and Rs. 100 and are available at Taika, Java City, Lavelle Road and Church Street, and Casa Picola, Residency Road and Cunningham Road. Call 51250842 for details.
RAKESH MEHAR
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