Behulas Theatre's maiden production of Arthur Miller's THE PRICE is a respite from the current scenario of the English stage in Mumbai where new writing is not necessarily setting new standards for our theatre. In this scenario, a classic done competently is a welcome change. THE PRICE (1968), one of Miller's most successful plays after THE DEATH OF A SALESMAN, is a perceptive, engaging and a penetrating family drama.
Vikram Phukan embellishes the original by bringing in cultural references to authenticate the characters in an Indian setting. Victor Franz and Walter Franz, the two brothers of the original text are now Victor and Walter D'Souza, who have grown up in Bandra and who now return to their father's home to dispose off the old furniture. Victor is a policeman with humble means while Walter is a very successful surgeon. Gregory Solomon, the antique dealer of Russian-Jewish origins is now replaced by Sulaiman bhai from Dongri. The cultural specificities find most of their way through Victor's and Sulaiman bhai's reminisces and the language is peppered with local idioms and Sulaiman bhai's use of Hindi.
Sulaiman bhai's character runs the risk of a Muslim stereotype, who by his own admission has been a womaniser and has had more than one wife. Of course, these are hardly the traits that define Sulaiman bhai's gregarious character in the larger context of the play; he is meant to be ninety-years old and has seen a whole lot of life, including the suicide of his daughter, which he has never been able to come to terms with.
Soon enough, we are swamped into the drama of family dynamics as the two brothers lay bare their misgivings. They have not met for many years. The play's best moments are a hollow reminder of how our families shape us as individuals. Victor and Walter's lives change as their father's fortunes dip but family ties are never simple to fathom. While Walter breaks out to make his own fortune, Victor feels compelled to stay back for his father's sake and gives up his dreams of being a doctor. None of them is wrong but there is at the heart of it all, a clash of identities that even the years past make it impossible to overcome. Walter tries his best to make amends but Victor is embittered. He is pleased to see his brother and may no longer carry any grudge but is simply unable to warm up to him.
Harsh Khurana plays Victor D'Souza with a fine mix of conscientiousness and self-righteousness even as his words are sometimes inaudible. Satyajit Sharma's Walter on the other hand has a presence and is suave, and while the actor has an upper hand with his speech, he is not quite able to command the same level of engagement as Harsh Khurana is able to with Victor's character. Preeti Gupta who plays Victor's wife, Esther D'Souza, is not entirely consistent with her character and blows hot and cold. Esther D'Souza is a woman devoted to her husband but is disenchanted by his sense of duty and responsibility and feels that his self-righteousness has robbed them off a better life. She wants him to talk to his brother and make amends so they may have a secure future given that Walter is many times prosperous than Victor but Victor while being kind to her, cannot just give in. Too much water has passed under the bridge.
The furniture dealer Sulaiman bhai comes to be a part of the brothers' meeting and it is in his character, we find the symbolic references to 'The Price' revealed. Sheikh Sami Usman infuses the character with the worldliness and the sharp eye of his profession and even attempts being a broker of peace between the two brothers, trying to soothe things. But his character begins to grate as it is often played over-the-top.
Considerable effort seems to have gone behind the set design by Vivek Jadhav as actual old-designed furniture pieces are used. Amongst the various things on display, the highlight is a harp. But for the most part, in spite of such a realistic backdrop, the stage design is not fully explored for the emotions that run undercurrent. There are moments here and there when Victor and Sulaiman bhai engage with some pieces but these don't carry any lasting resonance. It also makes you wonder if the set designer might not have been cleverer than actually to have gone to the lengths of procuring the real things. Certain aspects of the set design such as the piece pinned above the stage appear odd.
Shubhrajyoti Barat, the director, has made it a point to focus on the text and movement is in line with the motivations of the characters. The first act moves slow but things pick up in the second act and all the actors are in form. This is the kind of play one wants to listen to; it offers a slice of life that we only know too well.
Vikram Phukan embellishes the original by bringing in cultural references to authenticate the characters in an Indian setting. Victor Franz and Walter Franz, the two brothers of the original text are now Victor and Walter D'Souza, who have grown up in Bandra and who now return to their father's home to dispose off the old furniture. Victor is a policeman with humble means while Walter is a very successful surgeon. Gregory Solomon, the antique dealer of Russian-Jewish origins is now replaced by Sulaiman bhai from Dongri. The cultural specificities find most of their way through Victor's and Sulaiman bhai's reminisces and the language is peppered with local idioms and Sulaiman bhai's use of Hindi.
