Director's Cut. Review on Sleuth - Drama & Theatre / Plays

After months of anticipation, we managed to make it to the opening day shows of “Sleuth”—a new production by the Bangalore based ACTor drama troupe. For the past 3 months, there was lot of buzz surrounding the grandest production undertaken by any troupe in Bangalore. ACTor is presenting 3 shows a day between June 7 and June 12 2005 at Ranga Shankara (JP Nagar- Phase 1). There may be no shows of the play after that, for a long long time. Watch it while you can—tickets available easily at the venue or KC Das outlets (Morning shows priced as cheap as Rs.50).

The Day-1 evening show was not house-full. Quite surprising, since the publicity was good, the troupe is rather well known and weather was fair. We have seen a much more robust turnout for amateurish college-plays! Unless, maybe, the limited theatre audience for English plays in Bangalore was spread out thinly over 18 shows…. Hmmmm.

Now for the review itself.

The beauty of Ranga Shankara is the open stage. There is no curtain to rise. Hence, you first glimpse the splendidly modern and sophisticated set immediately upon entering the auditorium. All you can see are toys, games and colorful pictures. One wonders if this is going to be a thriller or a lesson in baby-sitting. A loud TV playing some funny childhood favorites in the background adds further to the excitement, fun and child-like glee. Yet, there is an eerie foreboding about the mansion despite all the color and gaiety.

It seems the set itself cost over Rs.6 Lakh. Add to that the innumerable toys that form an integral part of the plot, the reconstructive make-up and so on. The production was finally staged after huge inputs from volunteers in terms of time, money, sweat and—yup—toys! So, is it all worth it?

The premise of the play I quote from another review (for the Broadway version) found on the Internet: “As the curtain rises, we are confronted with a body, lying prostrate, centre stage. The place: the living room of a 19th century bungalow, a splendidly modern and sophisticated set, not at all what one would expect in old Jayanagar until we come to learn more about the character of the body currently lying flat out on the floor. For it is the owner, Narayanappa alias Naps (Pawan Kumar) who is face down on the floor, not though as a result of foul play, but in contemplation, as he crafts the latest investigatory episode in the life of his bestselling fictional character-- Detective Digvijay. Leaping to his feet, he continues his excitable and unlikely dictation, until he is interrupted by the arrival of a visitor at the front door. The visitor’s appearance is no co-incidence, as Anil Kumar (Kishore Acharya) has been invited to the house by Naps to discuss affairs of the heart, namely his suitability as the future husband of Naps’ current wife (with whom Anil has been having an affair), and in particular his ability to fund her extravagant and demanding life style. And so it is that the scheming and double-crossing begins, as Naps unfolds his elaborate plan.”

As we can see, “Sleuth” was intended to be a clever and enjoyable piece. It had a successful run on Broadway and West End before being made into an acclaimed movie with Michael Caine and Lawrence Olivier in 1972. Anthony Shaffer was a precursor to the witty twists and turns that one enjoys in David Fincher stories (The Game, Fight Club and Se7en). As a story, “Sleuth” is a riveting tale of convoluted plots, ploys, cons, one-upmanship and revenge. It expects the viewer to sit enraptured through the entire match between these two players, watching a series of unexpected plot twists unravel on- screen.

Just for that, it is worth a watch!

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Do come back and comment here once you've seen the play. It would be nice to hear your views on this production since I, frankly, had mixed feelings about it. Dying to see the movie, though-- anyone got the CD??

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