The Pulitzer prize-winning American playwright David Mamet’s The Shawl begins when Miss A goes to a clairvoyant, John, for advice on whether she should contest her mother’s will. The third character in the play, Charles, who is in a relationship with John, insists that a séance be set up with Miss A, thereby learning the tricks of the trade himself. As John deceives Miss A throughout the session, it leaves the audience guessing when “the fake seer turns into a genuine visionary.”
“The play scams and deceives to the very end, while emphasising the truth repeatedly” reads the summary of the play. Nakul Bhalla, the director, says the play deals with deception and truth at various levels. “None of the characters are what they seem. The large-scale deception is in the con job John and Charles are planning to pull over on Miss A. But if you look at it on another level, John tells Miss A the things you need are within you, all you need is affirmation.”
Nakul, who has been associated with Dramanon, a theatre group, and has acted in productions such as One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest , This , A Man For All Seasons , among others, founded SparkPlug Theatre Company this year. The Shawl is SparkPlug’s first production, featuring an interesting cast line-up of Roy Sinai, Susan George and Noel Manasseh. Nakul chose to stage The Shawl because he liked the quality of writing and found the genre interesting. “When I read the play, I thoroughly understood it and as a director, I have ensured that the exact meaning of the dialogues is conveyed. Mamet writes smart dialogue; it’s witty and cutting edge.”
The other interesting aspect of the production is that the commute to Jagriti Theatre in Whitefield, where the play is being staged, will be free thanks to SparkPlug’s partnership with Uber. You can avail of this special offer by following these steps: Download the Uber app on your iPhone, Android and Blackberry or visit m.uber.com; register with your contact details and credit card information and then enter promo code: THESHAWL, click on ‘set pick up location’, Uber will send a text when the cab arrives. After arriving at your destination, Uber will charge your credit card on file and email you a receipt. For rides to The Shawl at Jagriti, users will not be charged. The Shawl will be staged from today till December 21 at 8 pm and on December 22 at 3 pm and 6.30 pm. Tickets are available at bookmyshow.com and at the venue. Call 9686210123.
