The Final Line - The Great Indian Theatre Company (25 November 2023)

There was a time, long ago now, when I was doing my third year units for a Bachelor of Arts degree at UWA whilst attempting joint honours in history and politics. Modern Chinese history was my area of expertise. That never worked out (long story) but I mention it because the historian in me was intrigued when I was approached to review this production. The partition of India in 1947 is a monumental event in the middle of the twentieth century that has ramifications to this very day. My theatregoing side was also curious - how would you even attempt to dramatise such a consequential historical occurrence with all its complexities, larger than life political figures, and catastrophic loss of life and dislocation that ushered in the creation of modern India and Pakistan?  

Writer and Director Sreekanth Gopalakrisnan's answer to that question is to intertwine two parallel narratives - one at the political level where figures such as Lord Mountbatten, Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, and the lesser known figure of Cyril Radcliffe (who was given a mere five weeks to decide the borders) debate the partition; the other at the personal level following two families in a fictional village where such decisions will have significant and tragic consequences. 

In this regard, Gopalakrisnan's instincts are good, however, the execution, while powerful at times, didn't quite work as a cohesive and compelling theatrical narrative for me. I can't fault the intent, the sincerity and passion brought to the production, and the even-handedness of depicting complex positions without authorial judgment. There is real care and attention on display here. However, nearly every single character talks in expository flourishes that felt more designed to impart historical detail than to convey genuine human emotion and interaction. Even the staging betrays this outcome - the actors square up, often in a line, to the audience and talk at us rather than to each other most of the time. There is also a fair amount of repetition, especially with scenes foreshadowing the impending violence.

The play works best when there are recognisable human moments - a father, Balbir Singh (Ashish Malik), gives an impassioned speech about why he cannot abandon the land he began to farm as a young child with his father; two mothers - Gurpreet (Navneet Bhullar) and Fathima (Neha Chhapia) console each other knowing they and their children will soon to torn apart by forces outside of their control; a heart-wrenching lament as one 'brother' - Arbazz (Zachary Borthwick) - breaks down after an act of violence towards another 'brother'.

Perhaps most relatable of all is after a lovely dance sequence between Resham (Karthika Nair) and Zoya (Karishma Velugula) where Resham's brother, Jeet (Rohit Kalia) basically wants her to leave because he only has eyes for Zoya. It's sweet, funny, and has nothing to do with the larger political debates swirling around in that very moment even though we'll soon come to learn their romance is ill-fated. 

On the other side of the parallel narrative the politicians are either quite stiff, the actors perhaps weighted down by the solemnity of portraying such titanic figures; or, in the case of the British contingent, a hint of caricature. Matthew Docking has the physical stature to play Mountbatten but not the gravitas, not helped by an odd accent choice. Robert McDonough brings almost an element of comic relief as Cyril Radcliffe though I'm not sure if that's because I'm supposed to feel some form of sympathy for a man so hopelessly ill-equipped to perform the task he has been given. McDonough does have a scathing line of dialogue, however, that best sums up the stakes involved with such an imprecise process as drawing arbitrary lines on a map.

There are many elements I enjoyed. The cultural specificity of the production, especially with costuming that encompassed traditional garb from the colourful to the utilitarian as well as more sombre toned outfits for the politicians, and gaudy trim for the military men; a distinct musical score (Sumesh Anand Surya); and good sound design from crowd noises to radio broadcast snippets to fireworks on the day of independence. It's also a handsome looking show with the ever present tree at the rear of the deep stage and use of spotlights to draw our attention to competing points of view. 

I appreciated a totally unexpected fantastical device when Krishna himself (Jose Dev Vattoly) visits Radcliffe that was a quirky choice used to galvanise the dithering lawyer into action. The display in the foyer of the Nexus Theatre with contemporaneous photos, press clippings and historical facts set the tone before the show while the projection of similar information and photos on a scrim at the end nicely encapsulated what we had seen.

The historian in me was satisfied. I learnt more about this event, the players at the centre of the political wrangling, and the cost to the millions involved. The theatregoer in me wanted more natural interactions in the village scenes for the, albeit powerful, closing moments to really kick me in the teeth. Namely, utilising the two most charismatic actors in the cast - Rohit Kalia and Zachary Borthwick - to flesh out a friendship that symbolised a possible peaceful future only for their last moments together to ruin that possibility beyond all redemption. The romance strand could also have been teased out further as it's a complication that binds both families together when such entanglements could be deadly.   

Above all, I applaud the commitment of the cast, crew, and all the creative team involved in staging a production that explores such a significant and complex event with sincerity and fearlessness. I look forward to seeing what this company tackles next as a unique voice on the Perth theatrical landscape.