Stereotypical sketches
Cartel's It’s Not Waht You Tihnk draws from an Italian theatre style called Commedia Dell’ Arte, known to be attempted only by professional actors on top of their game. And that is exactly what a trio of actors, with their impeccable sense of comic timing, offered to the Chennai theatre audience. Depicting stereotypical sketches from everyday Indian society, these masked actors brought to life outlandish characters delivering slapstick humour at its grotesque best. The most interesting character renderings came from the most unexpected quarters; unassuming members in the audience, that the actors spontaneously wove into the chaotic storyline. Uninhibited laughter aside, the play truly engulfed you with the boundless and infectious energy the actors brought on to the stage. A day later, I still have a skip in my step.
Aditi Saraf
Nungambakkam
A rib-tickling show
It's Not Waht You Tihnk . The loud-mouthed Maharashtrian housemaid, the unthinkable house master, the sex-starved lonely old lady, the robber who runs away leaving his loot, the inimitable rich daughter of a rich politician, mismatched wedding plans, the music concert with the undoing of Raag Yaman and the perfect landing of the disciple, the perfect wooing of the audience by the wronged lady, the battle royale of the media to uncover the mystery of a murder… made for a rib-tickling show. Though the stories are common, the Italian touch and the freezing of the actors perfectly, made the difference. Though there was an announcement saying the show was for a mature audience, one could see lots of school students in their uniforms in the audience. Maybe, it is really not what I thought!
Jayashree V. Murthy
Coimbatore
Enjoyable
Comedia Dell'arte. This in itself hints at comedy. The deliberate mis-spelling of the title of the play inspires curiosity. Not to be disappointed; the artistes have succeeded in infusing humour into the lives of commonly seen characters. Quick thinking on the part of the actors, based on the responses from the audience, also drew laughs. Frozen expressions (masks) and hilarious voice modulations perked up the “commedia” factor. However, the obscene postures could have been underplayed, as also the obviously embarrassing dialogues, without which the play would have been truly enjoyable.
Anjana Shekar
Chennai
Explosive acting
It’s Not Waht You Tihnk , was something of a surprise. I had expected a stretching of sorts, what with three people in masks playing seventeen characters in a span of an hour, but the Cartel ensemble simply carried the evening with a new level of explosive acting. Especially in mime, they emanated an abundance of energy with the use of their entire body, making the experience altogether spell-binding. Their accents were crisp and authentic and every movement on stage seemed to rest on the absolute conviction of comedy. The sharp lighting that depicted certain spaces and the apt costumes helped solidify the humour. The only disappointing part of the play was the script. It left the viewer with the suspicion that the ensemble hadn't really tapped into the full depth of their own comedic brilliance, but in part, had somehow settled for easy sexual innuendos and tired toilet humour. I am sure Chennai would love to see more of that kind of originality that was seen in the scene of the carnatic lessons. (What was that Pattima drinking!?!) Still, it was a thoroughly fascinating performance.
Rachel Pamela Joseph
Anna Nagar - West
Masks maketh the man
I’m scared of masks, either separately or on clowns and other characters that wear them.
It turned out that the masks made my evening.
Lustful aunties, helpless masters, sweet daughters bartered for business deals, sensational news anchors...this play uses characters that we all relate to. But what was so different was they were all masked with lovely, hand-made fronts for their faces and this disturbed me at a primal level. What were the real expressions behind those masks? Did the actors feel liberated behind those masks? Did the masks really help three actors play 17 roles? Or was it their talent and passion alone?
Radhika Jayaraman
OMR
