If the author had been older than the 24 that he was when he wrote the script, perhaps it would have been less intense. If it was not Anuj Gurwara flexing his vocal chords across the entire spectrum, maybe the Lothario may have come across as a Wimp. And if it was not Vaishali who brought her own unique touch to the character she played, she could easily have been accused of playing a bit role in the Taming of the Shrew…or should it be the Screaming of the Shrew?

As voices boomed across the sound barrier and the music climaxed with the lights, the struggles of an average ‘open’ couple were brought to light…led ably by the Director Faraz Khan, who ensured that the actors were in character…all through the ten odd days it took the team to put up this play.

Let’s face it. The script was outstanding. The improvisations innovative. And the way the actors controlled the audiences was remarkable. Taking an audience through almost an hour of laughing, crying, farting and cribbing is not easy but the couple managed that with elan.

But in all fairness one must admit it…that while both Anuj and Vaishali were brilliant in their own way, Vaishali it was who came across as someone LIVING a role, while Anuj was ACTING it. Given that Anuj was made to wear a twirl on his face and a lump on his stomach, and he had to do more to project the Italian Caricature I guess that was unavoidable but I wonder if the play would lose its impact if Anuj’s character was caricatured less and lived more. No complaints though…just thinking out loud.

The prude in me definitely cringed at the amount of profanity (and more) that peppered the script but at the end of it I had to admit however that in those particular circumstances any couple would take their conversations to those expected lows and the wife’s hallucinations would include her husband’s pet ‘cat’…if you understand what I mean

But a theatreful evening was had and my admiration for Anuj and Vaishali went up a few notches. Inspite of their age difference and structural differences their physics was amazing. The chemistry of course, was as always…magical.

The script lends itself to manifold adaptations both in terms of nativity and in terms of the physicality that the performance integrates and it will be interesting to see what the duo can or will do with it as the next few performances go by.

Because between the script and the talent there are a few boundaries that need to be pushed…what would happen if the couple was not Italian, but South Indian instead? How would the actors interpret it without the slapstick element? How would it fare as a ‘Bedroom Comedy’ and not as an example of the Absurd?

And so on, and so on…

To quote a man and to misquote a star…”Drama, abhi baakee hai dost…dekhtey jao”