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Tangled up in blues
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Creeper, written and directed by Ram Ganesh Kamatham, looks in a million ways at the changing peoplescape of Bangalore
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PHOTO: MURALI KUMAR K.
BUBBLING OVER It was a confrontational script with an outbreak of ideas, feelings, opinions, and schools of thought
At the Nani Arena, Centre for Film and Drama, actors Abhishek Majumdar and Mallika Prasad captivate at a performance of “Creeper”, written and directed by Ram Ganesh Kamatham and presented by Actors’ Ensemble Productions and Puravankara.
Running down the two tiny aisles of steps, they instantly capture the audience attention when they animatedly announce: “Please switch off your cell phones, don’t even put it on the silent or vibration mode…”
The light flashes on the trunk behind the stage, and the actors, dressed in white, continue their energetic, catchy movements on stage. Their arguments about the narration of the story display a host of feelings. Their eyes dart flashes of anger and the vivacious lines set the mood of the moment.
Borrowing techniques from “Vikram and Betal”, the actors literally challenge each other to a turbulent debate, in the way the dialogues are thrown at each other.
And it is with this confrontational script that an outbreak of ideas, feelings, opinions, schools of thoughts tumble out, one after the other. Schools of thought – postcolonial, meta-narrator, intellectual, intelligent, counter-culture, literature – first intertwine and then intersperse with each other.
The characters are not blocks as Mallika Prasad pointed out; they freely take on the stage, frequently move around, suiting the temperament and spirit of the play.
The acting was spontaneous – Abhishek is exceptional in his frenetic, anxious intensity as the outsider in Bangalore and Mallika is spirited in her natural, refreshing nostalgia as an old Bangalorean – both giving performances that went beyond themselves.
From blogs to social networking sites, the anguish and frightening loneliness of just being “a digital echo in cyber space” was evocative in the desperate attempts at connecting with human beings in this IT capital.
The setting was surreal, almost blurring the lines between virtual and real worlds. The social structure or breakdown and conflict of the city were enhanced and depicted well in the topics explored in the script.
The lighting was grippingly used – from a red light illuminating the backdrop curtain, to sun’s rays from all corners of the stage falling on the characters.
Numerous aspects and arguments played out on a myriad arousing levels. From dark, subtle humour, sarcasm, light jokes, unease to hope in several issues including Saddam Hussein, Free Tibet, Dr. Rajkumar, illness, Kolar gold mines and languages, all brilliantly poking fun at the middle-class language to foster change and awareness with email forwards, signature campaigns, rallies and online communities.
“Creeper” is the sort of play that is so real – that you can definitely see episodes of your life in this city-of-change play out onstage. The question of belonging and not belonging is the crux of the conflict and the two actors capture both the clash and balance of ideologies with ease and comfortable proximity when they get into a significant relationship using a simple but important incident of a power cut.
The two actors are then, metaphorical on many levels as the director writes: “The city is a tree. But there is also a vine. The two are tangled with each other. The embrace goes deeper and deeper…”
Though it was difficult for the audience to see the seated actors clearly in the Nani Arena from a height, the play displayed artistic direction and a remarkable script.
AYESHA MATTHAN
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