The second play in the The Hindu Metro Plus Theatre Festival A Walk in the Woods, starring Naseeruddin Shah and Rajit Kapur and directed by Ratna Pathak Shah, was both overwhelming and underwhelming.
Based on a 1988 play by Lee Blessing,the nearly two-hour long play featuring two of the most talented men on the Indian stage is about diplomatic negotiations between India and Pakistan. The story traces the eventual friendship between a suave and smooth talking Pakistani negotiator, played by Shah, and his defensive and awkwardly formal Indian counterpart, played by Kapur. Their chemistry is wonderful, and for two men to have an entire audience hanging on their every word for two hours is no mean feat. The entire play is characterized by a sense of understatement and restraint, as one might expect in a play about diplomacy. It’s easy to see that the characters are metaphors for the dialogue about peace between India and Pakistan: both would benefit from a friendship, but neither would want to be seen as the one acceding.
Having said this, there were points during the play where I personally felt that the editing could have been snappier. The big liability in a script like this is the fact that it is so intensely dialogue-driven. The audience’s attention is more likely to wander in a play with less movement, and I’m afraid even the magic of Shah and Kapur couldn't prevent this. In addition, I personally believe that the set and lights didn't do justice to the play. Acting is only half the charm of the stage, and the awkward lighting and set just did not work for me. I found out later that the lighting was supposed to reflect a passage of time. The only thing that adequately reflected this passage of time was Naseeruddin Shah’s outfit. Unfortunately, Rajit Kapur’s costume didn't. In this kind of play, the set, lights and sounds could have made it far more impressive than it already was. That this didn't come through for the aspiring actress sitting in the balcony with a student-subsidized ticket was more than a little disappointing.
The verdict? Definitely mixed. The ineffectual use of lights and stage detracted heavily from the unadulterated awesomeness of the acting. Shah and Kapur did not disappoint, but the experience did.
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