Play Review: Shoddy art direction lets down Mark Montgomery’s farce Good Answer

Director: Sandeep Tadi
Cast: Jonas David, Shreya Ballal, Ananth Vikram, Jayanth Nandagiri, Harsh Garg, Aneesha Dama
Duration: 1½ hours
Language: English
Rating: 3/5
Plot: Written by American academician and author Mark Montgomery, Good Answer narrates the story of a day in the life of Michael Kaminski, a mathematics professor and acting president of a college in Iowa.Michael is in a fix as the college is facing a serious financial crisis and to save his job and that of many others. Desperate for funds, he reaches out to a wealthy alumnus, and invites him to visit the campus. But Michael’s plans go for a toss when his activist daughter organises a rally denouncing the alumnus’ visit and his administrative assistant, who is also his ex-wife, adopts a ruthless, hostile attitude towards him.
Review: Director Sandeep Tadi’s decision to strictly stick to the play’s original narrative worked in his favour. For, Mark’s script, set in the backdrop of a small town in Iowa, US, had all the trappings of a rib-tickling comedy and any attempt to localise those elements would have ripped the play off its sheen. Sandeep and his crew, however, did a very dismal job with the set’s art direction. The quirky set, replete with low-cost posters of a fireplace and a trophy cabinet, bright blue and yellow sheets that doubled up as backdrops of Michael’s office, cried out loud for attention throughout the staging. And had it not been for an adept cast, Storyboard Production’s Good Answer would have been a sure-shot misadventure.
Jonas David as the restless, fore-boding protagonist, Michael Kaminski, exuded unflagging verve right from the first scene. His infectious energy rubbed on to the rest of the cast and despite a languid start, characters such as his ex-wife, Jo Ann Paige (played by Shreya Ballal), managed to pick up some momentum as the play progressed. Jonas’ adept physical movements brought in some elements of slapstick comedy into the mix and coupled with the script’s witticism and farce, garnered some jolly good laughs from the audience. He anchored the play well and the rest of the cast just followed his cues. Ananth Vikram as professor and friend of Michael, Phillip Abernathy, was in his character throughout and except for a couple of fumbles, he did his part without going overboard. Jayanth Nandagiri as David Martin looked stiff on the stage. A couple of times, his wooden body language stood out like a sore thumb in otherwise smooth-flowing scenes. He looked conscious while delivering his lines and that only multiplied his woes. Aneesha Dama as the feisty yet compassionate Margaret Kaminski and Harsh Garg as her obtuse boyfriend, Butchie Wright, did a pretty passable job. Director Sandeep utilised the cast well and the staging was devoid of any blocking errors.
In the technical department, the subtle piano compositions in the background score intensified the handful of emotional scenes that the play had with aplomb. But there were moments in the play when the sound wasn’t in sync with the ebb and flow of the narrative that kinda hampered the viewing experience. As the play was set in an administrative office, except for a few white lights, there wasn’t much scope for light play.
Verdict: Beneath an almost-farcical plot, Good Answer touches upon some serious issues such as corporatisation of the education system, pros and cons of career ambition, role of business enterprises in climate change and so on. While StoryBoard Productions managed to entertain the audience with the production no doubt, it could get much better if they can tighten things up in the rehearsal room and put some serious thought into the art direction. If staged well, this play could become a runaway hit.