A theatre adaptation of the popular war-time novel Catch-22 will shed light on the absurdities and futility of war
The play, first staged in 2019, is adapted from Heller’s eponymous novel on the absurdity of war
The allure of dying a glorious death in war isn’t recent. Ancient Roman poet Horace hailed it as dulce et decorum [sweet and fitting] in his widely recognised ode written between 23 BC and 13 BC. But actor-turned-director Trishla Patel harbours a different perspective. As her play Catch-22, produced by tpot productions, lands in the city, she makes her stance clear, “I directed this play about war because I believe death, in war or otherwise, is nothing but grim.” With this clear message, Patel’s 12-member cast will perform their adaptation of Joseph Heller’s classic homonymous wartime novel this weekend in Juhu.
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Patel recalls her first tryst with Heller’s anti-war title, sharing, “My parents would watch war-time movies, unaware that I was developing a liking for them. Catch-22, the movie, especially left an indelible mark on my conscience. The helplessness of war and the resilience of the human kind to survive stayed with me.” Patel believes the sentiment only stands more relevant today. “You don’t have to look 80 years into history or across continents to witness war today. Particularly in the last year, we have witnessed the grotesque history of war repeat itself,” she sighs.
Anant Joshi and Girish Sharma enact a scene
But the play, the director assures us, isn’t deprived of the absurdities and humour that make the novel a favourite amongst generations of readers. “We took limited creative liberty in our adaptation of the classic. The play follows the same non-linear, absurd structure, allowing us the flexibility to place the 41 sections in different sequences,” she shares, further admitting that the actors took some time to get used to the off-beat pacing. “We briefly had an Indian Army official train the actors in the mannerisms of a soldier. But beyond that, my only direction to them has been to not act; for the theatre of the absurd comes alive only when you let go of the confines of your training,” Patel remarks.
As the actors take on dynamic roles over the course of the play, one would imagine the atmosphere for their wartime escapades is set by flashing lights, echoing sound effects and heavy props. Patel informs us otherwise. “The production is minimalistic. The play relies heavily on the script and the actors’ performances to set the tone. Amogh Phadake has designed a modest light set-up; the props are used sparingly, and the sound design is extremely organic featuring drills and other foley sounds to replicate sounds from a battlefield in an otherwise silent set,” she reveals, adding that this vacuum of silence, in a way, represents the vacuum that the soldiers on the frontline feel.
Garima Yajnik and Kavin Dave share the stage during a performance
For the director, who has trained under the wings of stalwarts like Naseeruddin Shah, Satyadev Dubey and Makarand Deshpande, the play marks yet another attempt to bring her learnings from her mentors to the stage. “Everything I do as a director, I can trace back to my mentors. Satyadev Dubey, for instance, taught me the art of minimalistic stage design. From Makarand Deshpande, I learnt the importance of having fun on stage, and from Naseer sir, I learnt how to use pauses in a script and how much they can sometimes convey,” she shares, adding,” When I enter a rehearsal, I’m never alone. The words of my gurus constantly echo in my mind.”
Trishla Patel
ON March 31; 5 pm and 8 pm
AT Prithvi Theatre, 20, Janki Kutir, Juhu Church Road, Juhu.
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