Elyria is a heart-warming and bittersweet Off-Broadway show written by an Indian playwright, Deepa Purohit, and directed by Awoye Timpo. Purohit is the co-founder of Rising Circle Theatre Collective, a theatre company that produces minorities’ stories. Elyria is her critically acclaimed debut play that was performed between February and March at Linda Gross Theatre in NYC.
Synopsis
Elyria is a bittersweet story about the two-decades long history of two friends from Gujarat, Vasanta and Dhatta, and Charu, the man between them. After cutting ties with each other, the friends unexpectedly collide 20 years later in Elyria, a suburb of Ohio. Vasanta, a hairdresser at J.C. Penney, and her husband, Shiv, an entrepreneur, move to Ohio after living in Nairobi for 20 years. Dhatta is an Indian folk dance teacher, and her husband, Charu, is a doctor. The story of how he is connected to both women unravels as the play progresses.
What I loved about the play
The authentic casting and representation. Elyria highlights Indian immigrant voices in the 1970s. All the actors are cast perfectly for the roles they play. Even their personalities, family dynamics, and dialogues are very natural and relatable to the Indian audience. We also see many instances of characters performing Raas (folk dance), setting up the stage for prayer, and other cultural day-to-day tasks and activities.
The acting. It’s safe to say that the acting carried the show. Charu acts perfectly as the old-fashioned, goofy Indian dad, and Dhatta balances out his personality with her strong sense of responsibility towards her family and lifestyle. The way they walk on eggshells around each other when Vasanta reappears in their life is realistically portrayed. Vasanta and Shiv contrast Charu and Dhatta’s dull relationship with their affectionate one. Although they have their fair share of problems later on in the story, they are frequently shown to be quite infatuated with one another and have a sort of newlyweds kind of relationship. The dialogues are also very real and there are multiple goosebump-inducing moments throughout the show.
The storytelling. The storytelling is creative and captivating throughout the play. The stage itself was small, but they used the entire auditorium as their canvas. They moved around the audience and used shelves in the hall for holding props. They also had different actors playing the younger versions of the three main characters. These actors enact the main leads’ reminiscent thoughts and it is so beautiful to watch. During these enactments, the actors conveniently move props around to prepare for the next set. It’s a truly remarkable and unique method of storytelling.
Elyria is a story that hits close to home for so many Indians, including myself. The characters, their interactions, and the vivid portrayal of Indian culture are so natural and truly breathtaking to experience. Unfortunately, the show had its last final performance towards the last week of March and is not confirmed to return as of yet. However, it undoubtedly left a lasting impression on everyone that had the pleasure of watching the play.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!