No Strings Attached: Sal Yusuf-directed ‘retro vaudeville’ piece takes a witty dig at social media fixation
Ready for new shows at Jagriti Theatre on June 23, the comedic performance has Sal Yusuf, Archana Kumar and Suraj Stephen D’Souza in the lead
By Reema Gowalla
Clowning, dancing, fantasy, colour and more. If you think a mix of all these elements can translate to an evening of entertainment, you’re in for a treat! Black Box India’s vaudeville show No Strings Attached, written and directed by stage and screen actor Sal Yusuf, is more than creating a surreal environment though. The narrative takes a subtle yet playful dig at our increasing tech dependency, reminding us to slow down, nurture true relationships, be compassionate and have the courage to laugh at our own follies. Also featuring Flamenco-Kathak dancer Archana Kumar and multi-disciplinary artist Suraj Stephen D’Souza, the 90-minute play is ready for its next shows at Jagriti Theatre on June 23.
Dubbed a multidimensional spectacle, No Strings Attached is punctuated by metaphors, symbolism and references to human experiences in the contemporary world and a bygone era. While doing so, it also teases a potential AI-powered future, where we might end up as relics in a museum. Apart from dance, improvisation and poetry, the piece promises to evoke laughter with a touch of eccentricity.
Besides helming the show, Sal is also playing the characters of Hasan, Boris and Al John in No Strings Attached. Archana essays the characters of Isabella, Sitara and Al Yoko, while the piece is also choreographed by her. The poster is designed by Suraj, who is also enacting the roles of Security and Suri. Lighting is done by Karthik and sound support is handled by Shiroyi Musafir.
Describing the format of the show as ‘retro vaudeville’, Sal — who is known for his work in films and shows like Tiger Zinda Hai, French Biriyani and Humble Politician Nograj — said, “Conventional vaudeville would have had different acts and different people, whereas three actors performing three different timelines is what we’re doing. We’re in the present, then we go into the past and then into a potential future. So, the show comprises three chapters. It’s an interactive piece, in which we are talking directly to the audience. We even involve some of them in the performance. The idea is to bring down the fourth wall.”
In a funny style, the piece intends to point a finger at social media which, according to the writer-director, has created a barrier between people. “Rather than interacting with those who are in their immediate vicinity, you’ll see people sitting at cafés and bars engrossed on their phones. It seems, we’ve lost that ability to directly connect and communicate with each other. We’ve become too reliant on our popularity on social media in all respects,” he added.
However, Archana — who also practises Butoh — feels that there are pluses and minuses of the online space. She said, “The primary idea of No Strings Attached is to activate a sense of awareness, so we make a more conscious choice every time we depend on technology to communicate with one another. It’s about evoking and awakening people’s minds, sentiments and consciousness at various levels — from sensorial and kinaesthetic to emotional and intellectual.”
Divided into three parts, the narrative parallelly focuses on relationships and the downfall of each kind of relationship. Sal said, “In the first chapter, we have two characters — saz player Hasan [which is loosely based on Sal’s late Cypriot father] and Flamenco dancer Isabella. They’re basically a bickering couple, because both of them are vying for attention and are driven by their egos. They’re both looking for centre stage, and that’s causing a breakdown in their relationship. But there’s a comedic element to that first portion. We want to make the audience laugh themselves. What we’re trying to convey is that why don’t you just stop and take heed of how you’re feeling, how we’re living in society today and how things have changed so drastically over the decades with human and social interaction.”
Adding to that, Archana said, “It’s an appeal to take things lightly. In the sense that you have this bickering couple, which is very real. So, how do we turn it into a positive thing? Yes, you’re experiencing this problem, but how do you get over it without making it worse? And that’s the purpose of comedy — to make us aware of a bad situation, laugh about it and, at the same time, realise that it’s also a bit of a therapy.”
The second chapter basically refers to a love story from the past, between Sitara (an Indian princess) and Boris (a soldier from the slums of London). “Now, when two people come together, sometimes there’s a dawning of love in situations. This is a point in which two people realise that there’s no airs or graces, and that ultimately they’re human beings. And their connection turns into a love affair. But the only thing is she’s torn because India is going through that transition. It’s rising up against the British and she is required to make a choice between her nation and her English lover.”
There’s also a third character, a farmer called Suri, who doesn’t want to work under British law. All he desires is to live a simple life. “Although it’s not a political play, there are undertones suggesting that we should respect people. In the past, it was simple because we didn’t have these connections in terms of media, unless you read a newspaper. We didn’t interact with everyone. So, it’s a chance for us to see these characters almost in the flesh and understand their humanity. That’s the overall theme of the show — the value of humanity. The third chapter kind of hints that if you allow AI (artificial intelligence) to continue in the manner that it does, we may actually find ourselves as nonexistent someday. I’m looking at a potential dystopian future, where AI is celebrating human existence. I imagined a future where humans are just memories. So, the message is don’t allow one thing to take over, because then you will just be a relic,” Sal elaborated.
In terms of the set and costume, No Strings Attached is mostly a character-driven show, in which the costumes are said to be the most predominant thing and the set is minimal. There’s also a ‘Man in Black’ in the background. Referred to as an ‘All Seeing Eye’, this character sort of appears in different forms during the show.
Catch the upcoming shows of No Strings Attached at Jagriti Theatre on June 23 (3.30pm and 7.30pm). You can book your tickets here.
