At its nub, human conditions and the corresponding emotions for all of us are pretty much the same. That’s why they resonate deeply with each one of us. Skylight, an adaptation of English playwright David Hare’s play draws attention to the same. It looks at relationships, politics and the society we live in. If its director Samar Sarila is to be believed, this is a one-of-its-kind story that will alter your attitude towards life and its many complexities. “Skylight is a heartfelt and often humorous account of two lovers bound together by a shared passion but divided by conflicting ideologies,”says Sarila, who along with Danish Sood and Vidushi Mehra form the cast.
This is a story of a schoolteacher who is visited by her former lover, a rich restaurateur, one night. What follows is an unexpected reunion, which sees the two discuss matters of the heart in a passionate and amusing attempt at reconciliation. The night sees an entertaining battle between their opposing ideologies.
David Hare wrote the play in 1995, but it never seizes to surprise Sarila that the themes are still relevant. Initially, it was made keeping the British audience in mind, but its universality spreads its wings to a global audience.
The impetus to adapt the script into a play was an earnestness to find the universal truth, a truth without compromising the playwright’s motives and ambitions. “That is how we approached the play, in all its facets (lights, sound, stage design, acting),”
he says.
Hare’s themes of class divide, terminal illness, adultery, socio-economic differences, father and son relationships and sex are all-embracing. Therefore, his story still finds reverence.
Every cell in Sarila’s body lives to hone his craft. He feels most alive in the the morning hours. Once the tone of the day is set, it’s about following routine. In the interim, if he can squeeze a film/documentary/autobiography, then it’s a day well spent. “They are my source of ideas, and ideas are what my passion thrives on,” he says.
February 24-26, at Oddbird Theatre and Foundation, Dhan Mill Compound, 100 Feet Road, Chattarpur. Cocktails at 7 pm. Show starts at 8 pm. An extra matinee show on the last day is scheduled at 4 pm. Tickets are `1,200 each and can be brought from insider.in.