Here’s a dark comedy that explores an unusual love story

American playwright Edward Albee’s award-winning play The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? will be performed in Bengaluru by city-based Alchemy Theatre Production. The dark comedy masterpiece was written in 2000 and revolves around Martin, who has a loving wife and son, and a hugely successful career as an architect. His life takes a turn when he embarks upon an unusual love affair and as a result, his familial relationships begin to collapse.
“The play has won several awards, including the 2002 Tony Award for Best Play.It opened on Broadway in 2002 and was a big hit. I came across this play for the first time when I was in the UK for a college internship. I was mesmerised by the story. I thought I should perform it in my college back in India and I did. Initially, I was a little sceptical about performing this play in front of a conservative crowd, but to my surprise, the audience took it really well. During the pandemic, we performed the play again in a professional setting in Delhi, which also got a very good response,” says Nikhil Chaudhary, the director and also one of the co-founders of Alchemy Theatre, which started in 2018.
Lasting over 60 minutes, the play features four actors including Nikhil as Martin Gray, Varshiki Jethwani as Stevie Gray, Rushi Patel as Billy Gray, and Prateek Jaiswal as Ross Turtle.
Ahead of its premiere in the city this Sunday, Nikhil shares, “These days, we are more aware of different types of love and not just the one between a man and a woman. We are more understanding of love between human beings, but this play explores the love between a human and an animal and that is an absurd topic when you hear about it for the first time. And that’s where the play’s comical elements help. For those who are coming across a topic like this for the first time, the only way is to present it through comedy and not as a serious matter. However, there are a few dialogues in the play which will make the viewers think and that’s the beauty of it.”
When asked about his apprehensions before bringing a play like this to Bengaluru he says, “People here are going to love it. We have performed this show in five places before and everywhere it has worked well and has reached the audience. However, viewers’ discretion is advised and I would recommend only those who are 16 and over to attend the show.”