British playwright Mike Bartlett’s modern play Cock found its dramatic adaptation on the stage of Mumbai, courtesy actor-turned-director Jim Sarbh with his small motley of cast- boyfriend Siddharth Kumar, girlfriend Aditi Vasudev, father Suhas Ahuja and pianist Kaizad Gherda. Cheekily titled Cock; presumably the boldness does not end with the title. Confronting strong thematic elements like homosexuality, bisexuality, identity and sexual politics; this Allmytea Productions’ latest theatrical presentation toyed with a truthful territory:

The Stage:

Bare. Empty. Minimal…and a white circle. This is the new age stage. Devoid of set, furniture, chairs even, props…nothing that will take away from the words of the actor and the imagination of the audience. The circular periphery acted as a befitting visual display of the protagonist’s repetitive but futile questioning of his sexual orientation. The claustrophobia felt by the protagonist John (Jim Sarbh) when constantly compelled by the society to define his sexuality, is well communicated through the stage space restricted by the circle. This kind of stage design releases the production from the compulsions of representing reality…the emphasis is therefore, on the play and provocation of ideas.

Lights and Sound:

Lights played the integral role of transitions throughout the performance. Guiding us from one scene to another was absolute darkness and absolute silence while the actors maintain their spot on stage; no entries, no exits. But, the next strand of dialogues picks up mid-way and the audience catches up with the characters’ already lived experience. This structure contributes towards the pace and movement of the play and keeps the audience engaged. The concept of live music on stage is getting popular and the notes of the piano add to the dramatic effect of the powerful dialogues without intruding into the voices of the characters.

Acting:

Bold actions like kissing between the male lovers, holding of the cock and a simulated orgasmic experience during sexual intercourse tear apart pretentious masques and portray bare naked truths of the thickly veiled bedroom life. What became primal in the capturing of the issues of sexuality was the subtle looks, the deliberate eye movements, the sexual nature of the caress to convince the audience about the sexual nature of the human body. Vital was the examination of the naked bodies of lovers- it foregrounded the sexual component of that thing we call love and marriage. To essay these characters seemed challenging because it was not what the actors could do with their bodies but more so how they could react to the presence of the body of another that created the friction of emotions on stage. The estrangement that exists between the male and the female body before the first sexual union is beautifully captured when John looks upon skeptically at his first female partner.

Script:

There is very subtle humor embedded in the tone and nuances of the script. It also contains thought provoking nuggets like the short monologue of John when he questions his partner’s father about the meaning of the cultural politics of the 1960s. Instead of being helpless about his confusion, when John attempts to sever the ties between sexuality and identity, Bartlett’s words are truly invoking the libertine and the egalitarian. However, what can also not be denied is the monotony and boredom arising from the repetitive nature of the conflict and dialogues in the second act of the play especially since the dinner conversation only reiterates the problem rather than uncovering new perspectives.