What is in a dream…a lot really!

Damn! I should have blogged earlier. It’s okay, the play is still vividly in my mind even after a few weeks. It seems my first experience of fringe theatre had a lasting effect.

Why Dreamcather by Kashyap Raja? Well of course it had my dear friend Janki Chotai, sorry, the unrecognisable Janki Chotai, who suddenly throughout the play showed her sinister, evil side. Her character really did show that you aren’t born a bitch, your circumstances make you that way. Janki’s expressions were on point. Her eyes really did show these traits. It scared me, because she’s amazingly sweet really! I felt an instant sense of pride when she appeared on stage.

My first play. Unexpecting as I was, I was surprised by the size of the theatre. Located near Kings Cross I saw that it would really be an intimate affair, I suppose I had a West End Stage size in my mind. The show was sold out on its third and final day. Waiting in line to go in with Janki’s fiancé (my sweet Bhai Amit) I still didn’t know what to expect. I met fellow Gujaratis who produced Gujarati plays in the UK. Rikin Bhai was a fountain of knowledge about acting, stage production and all things theatre. It was amazing to hear stories of their productions, the effort that is needed to keep the audience interested in the story you are trying to portray as an actor on stage. Still, I really hadn’t realised this until sitting through the play I was about to watch.

All new territory, I observed the manner in which theatres work. I wanted to get a really good view. I was a rookie. I needed to learn.

Dreamcatcher takes you through the plight of Shambi, who has been in a coma for 15 years and awakens unable to remember anything about a murder he had witnessed. Marqus, the Dreamcatcher, has been assigned the near impossible task of unravelling these dreams to understand what happened all those years ago, but you see even he needed help throughout. Shazad Ali, who played Shabhi was captivating from the first scene. Scaring us half to death by waking up from the coma, taking us through his difficult journey in each of his dreams, he really portrayed the role well. Expert or no expert, if you are moved by a performance you know you’ll want to see more of their work, that they will only get better the more they do.

The other performance that I still remember is that of the Joker. I was told that in such a suspense drama a character like the one we saw is added to lighten the mood of the audience. Thank God, I thought, what we were seeing so far was thought provoking and serious, but it at places was too dark to stomach. The Joker brought some light relief, throwing chocolates at the audience and bringing some sarcasm to the stage, she showed to have a fierce and independent streak with a pinch of craziness – a big pinch! But as I said, just like Janki’s character, it’s the circumstances that make your personality. It turned out that behind the mask, there was no joke. There was sadness. There was betrayal from her father, the Professor, who was helping others sort out their mental state, but had seemed to have disowned his own daughter. This was tough to watch. It really hit me. It reminded me that the ones that make us laugh the most are often the most broken. Isabella who played the Joker was amazing, the audience couldn’t stop watching her.

I left the theatre, one of the oldest in the country, even more confused that I entered. Not a detrimental comment at all to the production. In fact, I got confused about my life, my dreams, and what they mean.

It really was a learning curve for me to attend this, my first play, and definitely not my last. Especially dark, suspense drama like this. I was told it’s not for everybody, but I am that somebody it is for. Entertainment is vast, and can be a song and dance, but sit through something like Dreamcatcher and you really do appreciate acting, stage presence, audience engagement and the story.

I am so happy and proud that my dear Janki was part of this journey. I can’t wait to see more of her on stage, getting better each time.

A couple of weeks later and I manage more drawing, this time it’s still Janki and Amit related. Happy to say the happy couple are engaged, so I see a blank canvass and the ideas just flow. I end up with a unique design with peacocks, Paisleys and flowers that are distinctly ‘me’. A celebration saw another excuse of doing what I love – can’t wait until the next one!

Portraits

An impromptu stop at the National Portrait Gallery today after much deliberation. I entered and floods of memories of my childhood came rushing back. Those school trips to galleries that not only made us think about Art, but tested out our History too. I entered to find the Audrey Hepburn exhibition was full. ‘Never mind’ I thought, I will leave that for another time and off I continued inside. 
I didn’t have much time until the Gallery closed, so it was really a whistle-stop tour. I observed many portraits of those that make the fabric of British history. There were a number of paintings that did capture my attention for certain reasons. Art is all about what emotions or memories are evoked in you. You have to depict what the image in front of you means to you, or you try your hardest to understand the what the artist wants to make you think about.
One such painting was ‘Key to the House of Lords, 1820, the Trail of Queen Caroline’ by Sir George Hayter. Having worked for a Lord, I have seen the Lord’s chamber in the present day. The scene in this painting was very different (bar the Crimson of the seats and the regal feel). An all male House was deciding the fate of Queen Caroline. Caroline, who had been living abroad for several years, returned to England to claim her right to be crowned queen. George IV, who wanted to divorce Caroline, introduced a Pains and Penalties Bill to Parliament in an aim to dissolve his marriage. Caroline had a massive following and the Bill was unpopular and so was withdrawn by the Tory government. 
Another such portrait was of someone who every woman feels proud of. She gave us the right to vote. Emmeline Pankhurst. Suffragette. Political Leader. Woman. It stood next to a sign stating, ‘We are making a New World Britain’. She brought reform and modernised Britain so that millions of women could have a right to say how they should be governed. This was progress. It takes a real fighter to change society and its thoughts but her portrait showed her to be a soft, sweet lady. Her eyes had a reassurance about them. A few people stood in front of it and just smiled. One lady looked at me and smiled as if to say, ‘yes, she made it happen’. I smiled too, I was proud.  
The final collection that really took my notice was a series of photographs by Ketaki Sheth. She captured the Sidi community who originated from Africa and settled in India, mainly in Gujarat and Karnataka. The town Jamnagar instantly captured me as my roots are from near there. The Sidi community arrived in the 17th century and adopted a lot of the Indian culture, including dress, ceremonies and food, but at the same time kept their own identity. The collection is aptly called ‘On Belonging’. 
Overall, too little time to really enjoy – it left me wanting to visit again as soon as possible. This time, to definitely make it to the Audrey Hepburn exhibition and to view all the other collections I couldn’t. Whilst today’s visit took me through the depths of British history, it also made me appreciate the country’s development and reform. I can’t wait to go back!