SOME plays are riddles. They demand to be demystified, before their lines find expression. This is what the cast of A House of Correction is doing as they rehearse the Howard Baker play.
Director Rehaan Engineer questions the lines and their references, the most. The actors respond with their interpretations. Such exercise is warranted. Baker, a British playwright, never made it easy for the actors or audience to understand his work. A theatre company formed in 1988 by the fans of Barker’s works even named itself the ‘Wrestling School’—an allusion to the fact that performers and other theatre professionals must ‘wrestle’ with the ideas presented in the text before staging them.
A House of Correction is chosen by Engineer, a veteran at directing Howard Barker, as Fly On The Wall Productions’ next play. When asked about his fascination with Baker, Engineer states matter-of-factly, “He is a great playwright. His works are amazing.” The responsibility of production, however, is borne by Raghav Chanana, who also acts in the play. Chanana—who made his theatre directorial debut with Closer and followed it up with Bone—wanted to work with Engineer. “Meeting the director’s expectations, who is very exacting, is a huge challenge for me, apart from trying to comprehend the text,” Chanana says.
Yet, the challenge that the dramatist poses has the cast falling for it. Devika Shahani-Punjabi, quite a veteran on the Mumbai stage, was drawn to the text-driven piece. So was Puja Surup. Working on the play has been as expected quite an experience for her. Chanana talks about unlearning many things under Engineer while Shahani-Punjabi emphasises the need to shed preconceived notions.
Despite staying away from making any obvious statements, Baker—who coined the term ‘Theatre of Catastrophe’ to describe his work—seems to have struck a chord with the actors. Sardlo, the character Shahani-Punjabi is playing, feels enraged at the universe at one point. The actor tells her co-actors that the words do make sense to her. “Everything appeared black to me when I was feeling dark within,” she says. Surup too admits to seeing self-reflections in Vastula, the character she plays. The audience too will find their interpretation and sense in the play, hopes Chanana.
In the play, actions take place in a lonely castle as a world war threatens to erupt. There lives a bedridden poet with three women, who may be his mistresses. A messenger once there is unable to leave, despite all his attempts.
However, a piece of warning—those seeking entertainment might be disappointed. The audience should sit up and try to decode Baker instead.
