EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR Play Review

Parul Rana	Host-A-Performance \| Schedule

Direction : Bruce Guthrie Writer : Tom Stoppard Cast : Neil Bhoopalam, Denzil Smith, Sohrab Adeshir, Deepika Amin, Mihaail Karachiwala

EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR Review

EVERY GOOD BOY DESERVES FAVOUR is a satire based on politics, written by Sir Tom Stoppard and directed by Bruce Guthrie, with a 45-piece orchestra playing live on stage, this production offers a unique blend of music and theatre.

The play unfolds in a mental asylum, where two prisoners named Alexander (Neil Bhoopalam) and Ivanov (Denzil Smith) share a cell. Alexander, a political prisoner is asked to admit that he was ill and has now been cured in order to get released. Ivanov who shares his cell is a schizophrenic who believes himself to be a part of an orchestra. A conflict arises when the dissident's son requests him to lie and free himself but Alexander finds himself amidst a constant moral dilemma of denying the truth in order to be free.

Overall, the piece talks about the ideas around freedom of speech and the right to dissent. With the use of dark humour and witty dialogues, it condemns the practice of confining political dissidents to mental asylums. The piece reflects how institutions tell people what to think and what happens when one does not agree with their opinion, which is quite relevant in today's times.

The scale of the production is spectacular, it is something that might have never been experienced before in India. The orchestra playing live on-stage features as a separate character in itself. Every text that is being said and every note of music being played is interwoven together to build a story. Special mention to the music helmed by the Resident Conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of India, Mikel Toms, Andy Collins, and Matthew Scott who are the sound designer and music supervisor respectively. The credit also goes to Francis O'Connor who designed the set of the play, the lighting designer Rick Fisher, movement director Rachel D'Souza and costume designer Pallavi Patel. It is the brilliance of each of these departments that helps in elevating the play by manifolds with each scene.

In a tight span of 60 minutes, sometimes there is too much going on the stage, especially when the secondary cast comes in. At a point in time, there are around 50 artistes on stage and it gets difficult to view each one of them at the same time. On the other hand, the play succeeds to capture your curiosity for the whole runtime till the end. The sheer expertise with which this dark comedy has been executed makes this play an overall spectacle.

*Parul Rana is a theatre enthusiast and movie buff.

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