"Queer." "Faggot." "Cocksucker." "Die from my cum." Makes you uncomfortable, doesn't it?
Your discomfort might be for the person these comments are directed at. Maybe you are embarrassed and ashamed for the person who is uttering them. Probably you are feeling awkward as a member of an "innocent" audience that has happened to read what can only be categorized as offensive statements. If you would much rather avoid such disconcerting moments, then the Wendell Theater Group's production of A Perfect Ganesh is not for you.
A Perfect Ganesh is the story of two well-off, middle-aged women (played by Caroline Patterson and Carrie Alexander) who take a trip to India. They embark on their journey to seek adventure and to take a vacation from their problems. As the audience is soon to find out, these problems are far more complex and disturbing than we ever could imagine.
Student director Amit Mahtaney (T '05) explained, "Instead of ignoring stereotyping or trying to be PC, we want to push the boundaries. By doing so, we get more out of the experience of our characters."
One is tempted to tag A Perfect Ganesh as a comedy. The play is packed with laugh-out-loud humor and irreverent stereotypes that mock anyone and everyone. Don't be deceived. The production is a darkly serious performance, and these jokes are used in order to lighten the mood of what would otherwise be a sickeningly accurate portrayal of the unbearable pain that is all around us every day. Issues such as cancer, prejudice, racism and abject poverty are not glossed over.
There have been challenges in the production. Mahtaney explains that he has talked to some Hindu students who have a problem that Ganesha (played by Greg Anderson) is portrayed as a gay man. He rationalizes this by citing the basic premise of Hindu: "God is in everyone."
This is a powerful premise and it results in a production that is rich with spirituality, sensitivity, love and pain. Each member of the tiny four-person cast delivers powerful performances. They have stayed true to Terrence McNally's original script and the result is an expertly-delivered, thought-provoking experience.
A Perfect Ganesh can be seen in Shaefer Theater in the Bryan Center at 8 p.m. tonight and tomorrow, and at 3 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Saturday.
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