Play review/ The Horse

BY NARENDRA KUSNUR 

The Horse/ English play

Director: Sunil Shanbhag 

Produced by: Arpana/ Aadyam Theatre

Written by: Julius Hay, with translation by Peter Hay

Cast: Akash Khurana, Harssh A Singh, Neil Bhoopalam, Garima Yagnik, Rozzlin Pereira, Rajat Kaul, Deesh Mariwala, Radhika Sawhney 

Rating: *** 1/2

(Pictures taken from Aadyam's Instagram page)

When one talks of Roman emperor Caligula (12-41 AD), one is reminded of the 1979 film with the brilliant Malcolm McDowell in the lead role. Much earlier, in the mid-1960s, Hungarian playwright Julius Hay had written The Horse, a play on him and Incitatus, believed to be his favourite horse.

Theatre director Sunil Shanbhag had read The Horse in the 1980s, and always thought of staging it in India, after taking permission from Hay's son Peter, who translated it. It may have taken time but it's a perfect finale to Aadyam Theatre's Season 7. And who better than the outstanding Akash Khurana to play the narcissistic, egoistic emperor?

The Horse, which is totally different from Caligula the celluloid biopic, is a blend of subtle satire and absurdist gallery-friendly humour. What's specially noteworthy is that though the jokes make reference to events 2000 years ago, they are still relevant today. A scene where Caligula says the people are responsible for choosing the kind of leaders they get hits the nail on the head.

The setting is Rome, suitably described through Marvin D'Souza's old-styled robe costumes and Kushal Mahant's period set. The play begins in a noisy tavern with a fateful game of dice between Caligula in bearded disguise and the young Selanus (Neil Bhoopalam), a newcomer in the city whose prize possession is the horse Incitatus. The young man has nothing left to wager but his horse, and the emperor is so taken by the animal that he will do anything to acquire it. In the turn of events, he appoints the beast as Consul of Rome, and even passes a decree looking for a bride for him. The only thing is that the bride must be chosen from among the beautiful young women living in Rome. One of them is Ameeana (Garima Yajnik), whose ambitious parents even favour her alliance with the horse to please the ruler.

What follows is a series of hilarious situations where everyone has to say yes to the emperor, no matter how ridiculous his suggestions are. Ambition, greed, delusion, hunger for power, rumour-mongering and herd mentality are all covered in this drama. There's also this love story, and the inclusion of a she-ass in the narrative.

Throughout the play, Shanbhag handles the twists in the plot and the comic sequences with finesse. A couple of portions - like the one where matrimonial candidates have to laugh in a certain manner - are slapstick. But then, that's where one hears the maximum laughter, along with occasions where the words 'chop chop' are used. In comparison, a subtle joke involving the phrase, "One can lead the horse to water but you can't make him drink" gets only a few random chuckles from the articulate lot. There's also a short debate on the plural of Incitatus - which though funny also has a deeper interpretation in the way Caligula insists he's right.

Though the play is a shade lengthy at 120 minutes with an interval (maybe a bit of 'chop chop' is needed), and it takes a while for a modern-day Mumbaikar to adjust to ancient Rome, the performers and the dialogues keep the audience riveted. The 20-member cast also includes Harssh A Singh, Rozzlin Pereira, Deesh Mariwala, Rajat Kaul and Radhika Sawhney, all regulars on Mumbai's theatre circuit. The music by Kaizad Gherda, with lyrics by Asif Ali Beg, provide an ideal backdrop and there are some superb dance sequences choreographed by Shampa Gopikrishna and Bertwin Ravi D'Souza.

Of the cast, Harssh shines as Egnatius, the sacked Consul. Neil and Garima have some wonderful parts and a lovely song, which they present with precision. And in the end, Akash Khurana comes up with a stunning perfomance. His dialogue delivery, poker-faced one-liners and body language give extra bounce to The Horse's gallop. Enjoy the ride.

(The Horse was staged at the Balgandharva Rangmandir, Bandra, Mumbai.on August 9 and 10. It will next be performed at thd Kamani Auditorium, New Delhi, on September 6 and 7)