ln 2023, a study was published by IZA Institute of Labor Economics about the increase in ‘green’ behaviour and how this might impact the decision of childless individuals in having children. It concluded that strong environmentalists are less likely to have children, in the fear that they might have a bleak future. However, as yet another example of creative imagination predating scientific curiousity, English playwright Duncan Macmillan had penned the play Lungs in 2012, the story of a young couple who begin to analyse the world around them when they consider starting a family. This week, Quasar Thakore Padamsee is bringing his adaptation of the play to National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai.
"The play is a conversation between two people who are trying to decide if they want to have a baby or not. We see them negotiate conventional as well as newer anxieties about becoming parents – particularly if having a child is the right thing to do in this time of climate crisis," Quasar lets us in on the plot.
We meet the two unnamed characters in their mid-twenties. Woke, urban and conscious of the world around them and trying to be the best versions of humans they can be. "The story is very 'now'. It's a contemporary concern of many people who are thinking about becoming parents but at its core, it is also a beautiful and quirky love story," the director notes.
One quirky factor about the production itself though is how the narrative structure in the original text has lend itself to the stage design. "The magic of Duncan Macmillan’s text is that it is one conversation across their lives. Therefore, it is staged in a traverse seating, with the audience on two sides. The play unfolds almost like a tennis match, with us rooting for one character of over the other, or sometimes rooting for them together," Quasar tells us.
Designed by Shayonti Salvi, the set has a huge orb at one end and an irregular stage that unconventionally has the audience on either side. The stage is where the conversation occurs and exists as an allegory of the mindspace of these two characters. The orb points to the larger issue that looms over the characters as they negotiate their feelings about having a child and its impact on the climate.
One more unconventional aspect of this production is that apart from the music, the light scheme is also designed live by Arghya Lahiri. "The actors don't have any pre-decided ways of taking the lines. Each night is a different conversation and so, the lights and sound respond to how they speak. This makes the play different every night," Quasar ellucidates.
Before calling curtains on the conversation, the director lets us in on his upcoming projects. "The rest of the year will be spent celebrating 25 years of our company QTP. We also have a run of performances of another Duncan Macmillan play Every Brilliant Thing, which is about mental health. Later this year, we tour a show from the UK called Axiom of Choice, written and spearheaded by the brilliant mathematician Marcus du Sautoy. But for the most part, I will be donning my curator’s hat for Tata Literature Live! The Mumbai LitFest and Serendipity Arts Festival," Quasar says, signing off.
INR 450 onwards. Till May 26, 4 pm and 7.30 pm. At NCPA, Nariman Point, Mumbai.
Email: prattusa@newindianexpress.com
X: @MallikPrattusa
