Banyan Tree Production's adaptation of Slovene playwright Evald Flisar's TAKE ME IN YOUR HANDS features Vijay Crishna as the owner of the book store Bibliophile and actor-director Dipika Roy as Maya, who hopes to work, and read, at the book store. A book store is a simple, yet an inspiring setting for a two-character play and TAKE ME IN YOUR HANDS quickly sets off on interesting conversations, prompting smiles all along.
Simply put, the story revolves around an ageing book store owner and a young woman, struggling to ascertain the meaning of life. Maya lands at the book store following a recruitment advertisement for an assistant. The owner cannot pay her as much as the advertisement says (it was a mistake, he clarifies) yet, she stays on for the love of books, she claims. Here in lies the first hitch. The owner is willing to pay the assistant Rs 4,000 per month, to work three days a week. It clearly isn't enough for Maya, who seems old enough to walk out the door to look for another job, which she might even get given her seniority. But the woman stays on, giving her character a ditzy touch, perhaps unwittingly.
Anyway, the performance moves on, playing on the contrast in characters. The woman's enthusiasm is countered in the near-constant pessimism on the part of the man and the chatter continues, sprinkled with enough laughs to keep the audience interested. The leaking pipeline outside the book store is fixed and a few more books are sold, thanks to Maya. The gentleman busies himself fussing over the general state of affairs and introducing Maya to the works of Argentine poet Jorge Luis Borges among others. The two begin to bond and put in an effort to overcome their loneliness.
As the stage lights up post-interval, the first compliment must go to the person who has worked on the production design. S/he deserves a special mention, with the book store transforming along with the protagonists. Post-interval, the book store also briefly begins to sell music, although without copyright permissions. The conflict finally unfurls in the second half of the play. But in this la-di-da land conflicts arrive with handy solutions. The drama, then, remains stagnant.
Perhaps if the team worked towards casting an age-appropriate actress against the wise old man, played by Crishna, the play would gain some inherent character. The dynamics would change automatically, making it an endearing peek into conversations between worthy friends, defying age, and the burden it brings, through books.
*Charulata enjoys watching theatre, and writing about it.
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