Theatre review: Pockets Full of Breads

Director: Omkar Bhatkar
Cast: Suchit Shetty, Abhishek Banerji
Duration: 70 minutes
Language: English
Rating: 2.5 stars

Plot: Strangled by their conscience yet driven by free will, two strange men depict the vicious cycle of human behaviour, during their quest to save a life.

Review: ‘Man with stick’ and ‘Man with hat’, inspired by the characters from

Samuel Beckett

’s ‘Waiting for Godot’, stare into a well while ridiculing hateful men and their sadistic pleasures. The minimalistic setup takes you back to simpler days, where strange characters bicker about hypothetical situations endlessly. But in this play, their sole motive is to save a dog howling in a deep, dark well.

Initially, the absurdity of the script piques your curiosity, but the scenes gradually fall flat all the way till its climax. As you struggle to make sense of the situation, what keeps you going are the engaging dialogues, which again are repetitive at times perhaps to create an impact. Another highlight of ‘Pockets Full of Breads’ is the inconsistencies of ideas that pit the characters against each other. But don’t let the pointless pauses and delayed reactions lead you astray, for you may miss the opportunity to interpret the meaningful scene at the end.

Although they try to complement each other’s roles, it’s the ‘Man with hat’ (Suchit Shetty) who balances out the act, saving the over-expressive ‘Man with stick’ (Abhishek Banerji) from losing track. The lighting and costumes don’t add much value to the play, and fail to match the emotions and personalities of the characters.

All in all, this play depicts the circle of life and makes you introspect.