Tape a.k.a. The Gentlemen’s Club markets itself as an insider’s look at the underground drag king scene in Mumbai , a cabaret-type performance of the seedy underbelly of that world. It promised a voyeuristic sneak peek into the lives of transgenders and a searing, lively song-and-dance routine to accompany it. And if it had lived up to its billing, it would have brought the curtains down.
Sadly, Tape succumbed to style over substance and fell short of creating a lasting impact.
The production by Sandbox Collective in association with Patchworks Ensemble began promisingly, even before one entered the theatre. Each audience member was rubber stamped on their wrist, a representation of entering the actual club itself. The set design was aesthetic and functional, a lovely golden chandelier hanging above and playing diamonds of light around the Ranga Shankara auditorium. Even the music was thought through and set the mood before a single word was spoken.
The play centres on the drag king Rocky, an ardent fan of Shammi Kapoor and the ragtag crew that makes up The Gentlemen’s Club. That’s about all in terms of a storyline and what follows is an exhibition of each of their talents and niches.. Rocky’s is, unsurprisingly, Shammi. But what could have been a powerful expose of their lives or even a tale of a fading star instead devolved into a sort of dance off with a last act tacked on to give the title of the play some significance. Even the audience interaction is confusing. At times we are the audience in the club, ignored when the performers are not in drag. At others, we are the special backstage invitees with a VIP pass.
Having said that though, the cast – and even some of the writing – is stellar. Puja Swarup as Rocky deserved a standing ovation all on her own, though her Vicky Lalwani take lacked writing meat to see it through. Sheena Khalid was breezy and effortless, the perfect accompaniment to Swarup. Their opening scene together contained some of the best dialogue in the play, actual true-to-goodness laugh out loud moments. That’s when one thought that this would go somewhere. From then on though, the play mostly relied on nostalgic evocations of Kapoor and the others from the echelon of men’s men – Amitabh Bachchan and Marlon Brando included – alongside a medley of old Hindi songs to strike a note with the audience.
Toward the fag end of the production, we did get a look past the glimmer and to the symbolic binders that they wore, but it seemed more like glance back than a guided view. This is a pity, because the production lacks little except a coherent, hard-hitting plot. Go if you’re a fan of Swarup or Shammi.
