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Reviewed by Annemarie Donkin
In A Perfect Ganesh by Terrence McNally, two wealthy middle-aged women and long-time friends from Connecticut embark on a two- week journey to India to seek forgiveness, answers, and absolution. Avoiding their usual, safe vacation spots and unaccustomed to foreign travel, Margaret Civil (in a brilliant performance by Melora Marshall) and her friend, Katherine Brynne (played to perfection by Ellen Geer) blunder, bicker and banter their way from the United States to Mumbai and beyond.
Margaret is a fussy perfectionist and Katherine is more of a flibbertigibbet who is forever forgetting things along the way. Yet, during their travels, the two women begin to embrace India like a warm hug while attempting to reach enlightenment and understanding of their miserable lives.
The play begins with a comic sequence as they arrive at the airport with entirely too much luggage, encounter a mix up with their tickets and leave a bag behind. As the trip continues, however, and they trek deeper into the country, the two friends are immersed in the transformative powers of India and are soon able to break free of worldly things.
Guiding them throughout their travels is the cheerful, benevolent, elephant-headed Ganesha, the Hindu god of “wisdom, prudence, acceptance and love.”
Played beautifully by Mueen Jahan, Ganesha is everywhere, all thetime, and also exists in the many people they meet along the way. In his charming, childlike manner, Ganesha, also the remover of obstacles, accompanies Margaret and Katharine from teeming Mumbai to the Chittaurgahr Pass, Jodhpur, the Ganges and finally, the Taj Mahal.
“Their journey is at once geographical and deeply internal as they wrestle with their failings as wives, mothers and friends,” explains the play’s director Mary Jo DuPrey. “Through their journey, McNally incriminates the unforgiving prejudices, superficial values, emotional denials and cultural superiorities embedded in contemporary American culture that can lead to personal destruction if not tempered with insight, searing truth and compassion. At the same time, he humorously skewers the orientalist, colonialist stereotype of the Western ‘seeker’ finding solace in ‘trips to India,’ rather than simply facing themselves where they are.”
Indeed, much happens during in the three-hour-long play, and at the end one actually feels like they have also been traveling to India and back again.
All obstacles are overcome as it’s a joy and privilege to see two such stellar actors as Geer and Marshall onstage together as they play off of each other perfectly. Their performances are worth the price of admission.
Multi-talented actor Rajiv Shah skillfully portrays all the other characters and travelers in the play, ranging from comic to tragic effect.
Choreographer Shivani Thakkar heightens the ambiance of India whenever she appears, unannounced, in full regalia. Without a word, traditional Indian dance brings the empty stage to life and speaks volumes.
The Theatricum cast includes dancers Simi Fulton, Emily–Mae Kamp and Liza Rash.
The creative team features assistant director and cultural consultant Shivani Thakkar; set and properties designer Ian Geatz; lighting designer Hayden Kirschbaum; sound designer Charles Glaudini; and costume designer Vicki Conrad. Karen Osborne is the production stage manager.
As a fabulous venue, the outdoor Theatricum is the most enchanting theater under the oaks in the heart of Topanga, and it was a perfect summer evening to see an utterly engrossing play that leaves one pondering the true meaning of life and our relationships.
Highly recommended!
A Perfect Ganesh by Tony-award winning playwright Terrence McNally (Kiss of the Spider Woman; Ragtime) premiered Off-Broadway in 1993. The play was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in 1994.
A Perfect Ganesh continues through October 7. A prologue (pre-show discussion) is scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 10 from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.; go to theatricum.com for a complete schedule of performances.
Tickets range from $15 to $48. Premium seating is available for $60. Pay What You Will ticket pricing (cash only at the door) is available for the performances on Friday, Aug. 4 and Friday, Sept. 1. Will Geer Theatricum Botanicum is located at 1419 North Topanga Canyon Blvd. in Topanga, midway between Malibu and the San Fernando Valley.
The amphitheater is terraced into the hillside, so audience members are advised to dress casually (warmly for evenings) and bring cushions for bench seating. Patrons are welcome to arrive early to picnic in the gardens before a performance.
Get your tickets for A Perfect Ganesh here.