Indian Express Review of the show at The Cochin Yacht Club

KOCHI
Tuesday April 3 2007

Theatre Spells Magic

Kochi got a feel of the English Theatre when a translated version of Art - a French play by Yasmine Reza, a French playwright - was staged by Gnatak at the Cochin Yacht Club on Saturday. Gnatak is a theatre group from Bangalore.

The play, basically about the nature of male friendship, brought forth three contrasting characters who debate on a piece of art (a totally white picture worth 200,000 French Francs) bought by one of them.

Directed by Prakash Aswani, Art was enacted by K.T. Abraham, Michael and Rohit.

According to Aswani who works as a RJ for Radio Indigo, Bangalore, it is all about the sad, treacherous and comical dynamics of friendship.

‘‘Art debuted in France in 1994 and went on to win top theatre awards in both Britain and the US, including the 1998 Tony Award for Best play. It raises questions about the nature of art and friendship,’’ Aswani said.

Gnatak had staged this 90-minute play in Trivandrum - at the annual Surya festival last year - to a very inspiring gathering.

On Saturday, the Yacht Club was also witness to a motley crowd. And the actors, with an uncanny ability for dialogue-rendering, kept the viewers on their toes each time they held forth.

‘‘The way the play was appreciated went on to show people’s interest in genuine humour rather than usual slap stick comedy,’’ Aswani said.

Aswani and his team look forward to perform more of such intellectual dramas in the near future. ‘‘We hope to be back in Kochi soon. The audience here are amazing,’’ he said.