English playwright Fredrick Knott’s award-winning play Wait Until Dark has inspired several adaptations including an Oscar-nominated film featuring Audrey Hepburn. Hailed for being one of the most suspenseful and thrilling stories of all times, this play has the potential to keep the audience on the edge of their seats. Nupur Khhosla (producer and actor) and her team staged an earnest adaptation of this ageless classic—set in a modern time and place—on Friday evening at Select Citywalk, Saket. The plot is rather thrilling—it is the story of a blind woman who defends herself and outwits intruders who try to take advantage of her.
“We have modified the play as per present times; tried to figure out how this classic is eternal, in a sense that we can still relate to the storyline. We have borrowed the basic premise of the story. It is a blind lady’s victory when she is able to outsmart intruders by getting them in a universe of darkness,” shared Tathagata Chowdhury, director and founder of Theatrecian, a Kolkata-based theatre company. Both Chowdhury and Khhosla have been trying to make theatre accessible for all by “curating shows in interesting spaces and not just regular theatre places”.
Welcoming Christmas
Performed in an open-air stage, on a winter evening that really compromised the viewing experience, Chowdhury’s adaptation is set in Delhi, pre-Christmas. The set, decorated with a Christmas tree and a bunch of gifts, was on-point and highly complimented the time and space. The costumes, too—in shades of red, black and brown—add to the overall vibe. The use of live music, which was intricately woven into the narrative of the play, added to the plot.
However, the adaptation, “an experimental attempt”, in no way is close to the classic. In fact, it fell short of the level and stature presented by the original. Even though Khhosla did a fine job of bringing out the dualities of her character, the overall result was far from compelling and suspenseful. “This character was particularly challenging because I have never, as an actor, played the role of someone who is blind.
A lot of physical exercises went into the preparation of this character. Playing Vartika [the protagonist] was very precision-oriented and required a lot of self-control,” shared Khhosla. Despite scope in the script, the performances lacked conviction. The scenes, devoid of continuity, led to a much-fragmented state-of-affairs. The space, too, was gravely under-utilised. A viewer from Malviya Nagar, who was seated as the audience, concluded, “It was really nice and touching, but I couldn’t concentrate much because of the cold weather.”