The Great Ganesha

[Originally on Desicritics]

Was in New York recently, and whenever I’m there I try to catch an off-Broadway play, or a decent Broadway one, if that’s possible. Well, this time I was way off Broadway - on 59th between Park and Madison, in fact - at the 59E59 theaters. The play was Michael Hollinger’s Opus (directed by Terrance Nolen) and it was brilliant.

The story is about the fictitious Lazara string quartet. Why is that interesting? Well, that question is answered in the first few minutes of the play when we are told that being in a quartet is like a marriage, only without the fidelity. The dynamics, the politics and the interdependencies between the members and their sometimes clashing, sometimes attracting personalities are riveting for the entire intermission-free, ninety minutes of the play.

There’s Alan (Richard Topol), who’s easygoing and extremely likeable. There’s Carl (Douglas Rees) who’s the only married one, and he’s understated and always trying to iron out the mostly petty and always passionate disagreements between the group’s members. There’s Elliott (David Beach) who’s clearly the leader, and extremely controlling, driven and caustic. And there’s Dorian (Michael Laurence), who’s the most stereotypically artistic, being a poet at heart and a visionary, but also the least stable.

We begin when Dorian mysteriously disappears. Now, the members of the quartet are somewhat like rock stars of the classical world in that they are extremely popular, have had a documentary made about them and have even won a Grammy. So with an upcoming performance at a White House function, the disappearance causes quite a stir, and they are forced to look for a replacement. And that’s where Grace (Mahira Kakkar) comes in to the picture. She wows them at her audition and is practically hired immediately. What happens over the next hour and a half is a meandering drama with enough comedy, romance and tension to keep you at the edge of your seat.

Hollinger, a violinist himself, creates a montage of scenes that occur mostly during rehearsals or backstage before and after a performance. They fluctuate between the past and the present, and with each scene it becomes clearer why Dorian disappeared and what the quartet should do next. The acting is subtle and enticing, with each character played to believable perfection. And the plot, well, there isn’t really a plot, per se, other than the sheer pleasure one derives from watching the members talk, argue, love, hate, philosophize and reminisce.

Picture Source

Mahira Kakkar

An aside on Grace, who was played by Kolkata-born Julliard graduate, Mahira Kakkar. Her performance was, to say the least, quite endearing. Her character is a young musician, fresh out of graduate school, trying hard to impress the members. She plays a wide-eyed but extremely talented neophyte, trying to understand the dynamics of the much older, much established quartet. At times, her presence was necessary to create an offset to Beach’s egotistical and chauvinistic Elliot. At other times, she was just refreshing. It was great to see an Indian-born desi in an off-Broadway play (although she’s not the first desi that I’ve seen on Broadway), and that too, speaking with an almost Indian accent. It’s about time us desis start to represent on the theater scene, and Kakkar is an excellent ambassador.

The purpose of the play is in the journey itself, and the ending, although damn good, is not a surprising twist or a melodramatic coup d’?tat. Probably the only surprise (and, in retrospect, it shouldn’t have been a surprise at all) was how much fun I had watching the members of the quartet interact with witty dialogue and melancholy observations about life. Not unlike the interactions that we all have had with our own friends and significant others. I could easily see this play making it to Hollywood, and if it does, I’ll be the first in line to buy a ticket to watch it again.