Vaudeville Valour: Alliance Francaise to stage play 'No Strings Attached' in Bengaluru this weekend
“Art should comfort the disturbed and disturb the comfortable,” said Mexican poet-activist Cesar A Cruz. This statement aptly describes the crux of the play No Strings Attached, written and directed by Sal Yusuf and produced by Blackbox India, which is set to host its first production in Bengaluru, this weekend.
Last week, a teaser of the play caught our eyes on Instagram, which was basically a reel made in the trending Wes Anderson style template. The quirky promo was only a glimpse of the avant-garde narrative style the play attempts to employ. Better described as a contemporary vaudeville show with hints of burlesque comedy, No Strings Attached is an amalgamation of three different stories.
The play opens with the story of an aged couple who are constantly bickering but deep down, have immense love for each other. Inspired by the relationship shared by Sal’s own parents, the story explores how relationships are more than what they seem.
The second story is about the relationship between a princess and her British bodyguard. “In the 1800s Britain, you see, a lot of soldiers and commoners used to be put on ships and sent to an exotic country like India, so that they could get a better life. Not many know how poorly treated the British were in their own country,” says Sal, giving us a context to the story.
The last story is a dystopian look at artificial intelligence. It explores the relationship between two artificially intelligent robots, imagining what humanity might look like in the future as AI becomes more all-consuming in the present. “We can’t deny what technology is doing for us, but there is a flip side to it as well. That is what this story is about,” explains Sal.
What connects these stories is the disconnect between the characters. “There is a distinct shift in the way people are thinking now. The society we are living in today has so much disconnection between people. I think we are losing the ability to just be humane. And that is why the title ‘No Strings Attached’ – because we are becoming so detached from everyone,” says Sal, adding, “But there is an alternative to the reality that we are living in.” And that is what this show proposes — that we initiate a dialogue about this disconnect and rebuild bridges that have been burnt in our blissful ignorance. “I want to make people laugh, but I want them to feel a bit uncomfortable as well. I want them to feel aware of what we are doing to the world and what we are doing to ourselves,” he says.
But more than the stories, the way in which they are narrated seems most experimental. “India loves masala and this play has a lot of it. But I must say that the show is predominantly comedy. Throughout the play, we also have conversations with the audience, breaking down the fourth wall. So, the audience will be part of the moments we create with each production,” Sal tells us. “Also,” he further notes, “We can’t call it a play in the conventional sense because it is not really verbose. Instead, it has got a lot of movements and choreography.”
From flamenco and kathak to mime and robot — Archana Kumar has blended distinct dance forms in this show as the choreographer. Sal mentioned that watching a flamenco performance of Archana served as the inspiration for No Strings Attached, explaining that a lot of the creative processes of the play involved bouncing off each other’s energy. Apart from them, multidisciplinary artiste Suraj Stephen D’souza also features in the production.
On being asked about other inspirations for the play, the director mentions a myriad of influences. These include celebrated British author Roald Dahl and creator of the popular dystopian show Black Mirror, Charlie Brooker, whom Sal claims is, “today’s Roald Dahl.” But perhaps the vaudeville nature of the show draws inspiration from the talent shows on television that Sal grew up watching. “As a child, I used to love watching talent shows. And that acted as a source of inspiration also, because this show is kind of about demonstrating the skills Archana and I have.”
When asked about his next production, Sal reveals that its title will be What’s Mime Is Yours. That the play will be, “all about entertainment,” is the only information that he divulges, concluding the conversation.
Entry free. On June 3. No Strings Attached is part of a double bill that starts 7.30 pm onwards. At Vasanth Nagar.
Email: prattusa@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @MallikPrattusa