REVIEW: Public Obscenities (Woolly Mammoth)
Preview: It’s not every day you get to see queerness explored from a South Asian perspective. It’s also not every day you get to see interracial relationships displayed (semi-) positively in the same. So, it’s definitely a breath of air — whether it’s fresh is debatable — to get a double-whammy of both, as seen in Shayok Misha Chowdhury’s sprawling Public Obscenities, opening this week at Woolly Mammoth. This experimental piece has made its way to the District following a stint at SoHo Rep in New York this past spring, where it was met with lukewarm responses. Yet, I’m all about theatre that pushes conversations into uncomfortable territory, and I know Woolly is no stranger to it. Let’s dig in.
Book: In present-day Kolkata, NRI (Non-Resident Indian, a.k.a. diaspora) Choton arrives to stay with his auntie Pishimoni and her husband Pishe to shoot interviews with the local LGBTQ community for his PhD, exploring how the Bangali lexicon surrounding it is impacted by Anglocentrism (namely via the “public obscenity” laws put in place by their former colonizers). In tow with the academic is Raheem, his (Black) long-term boyfriend and director of photography. During a moment of niceties, an old camera belonging to Choton’s late grandfather is discovered, and when the film is developed, secrets are brought forth that threaten to unravel the family itself.
Off the bat, it introduces several interesting ideas and characters; though ultimately you’re left empty. Obscenities casts several vectors of storytelling, only resolving a handful if and when it wants to. Additionally, there’s several important contextual elements that are not addressed but would add substantial depth to the otherwise unfocused three-hour slog, such as anything more involving Jitesh, the lower-caste household servant (which is not addressed whatsoever; I only noticed because of my familiarity with the caste system). In a show which explores searching the underbelly of society for those that are forced down by it, you would expect something about caste to make an appearance, right? (No? Just me?) Raheem’s race is also introduced as a potential sticking point and yet is played for laughs (though as a mixed person, hard to say who should be laughing), its greatest attempt at plot relevance. The bubbles of action that occur over the two acts are barely connected by oceans of pause, as Misha’s indulgent embrace of hyper-realism creates a ruminant silence that sucks any momentum out of the room. Granted, his inspiration draws from Bengali realism in cinema, which is expressed thoughtfully via crisp projection work from Johnny Moreno. This literary aesthetic choice isn’t an entirely bad effort from a characterization standpoint, though. While Choton remains an emasculated, self-hating nuisance anytime he’s on stage, everyone else is written to far greater levels of intrigue; I just fail to see why it had to be drawn out to its epic lengths without creating more resolution for them. 3/10
Acting: There are good performances nonetheless. Jakeem Dante Powell’s Raheem puts his quiet to lukewarm use with latent pensiveness; he’s written well enough to not feel annoyed when left in the same mental space as the audience, which the same cannot be said for Abrar Haque’s Choton. The highlights, though, were of the Kolkatan locals: Pishimoni (Gargi Mukherjee) is warm and inviting, creating a homely space for the action to unfold around, and is supported by the antics of all-caps-using Pishe (Debashis Roy Chowdhury), whos uncly antics prove that some behaviors transcend culture. Unsung but magnetic was Tashnuva Anan’s Shou, the trans interviewee whose bright personality and quips light up an otherwise grimy mood. 6/10
Production: The attachment to realism does it some favors from a technical standpoint. Peiyi Wong’s gruff set design shines through its dust, with subtle textural and cultural references in the one-room-set that tries its best to take up all of Woolly’s cavernous stage. Barbara Samuels, in tandem, creates wistful natural lighting that invites the viewer to pause with its unending stagnation. Enver Chakartash’s wondrous costuming dolls up the space with bright color and pattern emblematic of Indian couture. As mentioned previously, while Moreno’s projection work is solid when used, I found it relied on it too much. (I am a known practical effects appreciator, after all). 6/10
VisDev: The program art of a shirtless Indian man holding a camera doesn’t quite tell you what it’s about, but it is attention-grabbing. What grabs your attention and holds it is the pre-show “staging”, which is just a series of Indian TV ads playing on a loop projected onto a screen that obscures the stage. It’s actually quite fun! By the fourth ad you start to get well immersed in some of the nuances of the culture of the show, from when they choose to put English phrases into their sentences to what aesthetic choices they value in society. It is one of the applications of theatric realism that I actually appreciated seeing. 4/10
VERDICT: Public Obscenities is a stale marathon of intriguing realism in queer storytelling that flashes with potential that yet remains unrealized.
19/40
