This statement aptly describes the crux of the play No Strings Attached , written and directed by Sal Yusuf and produced by Blackbox India, which is set to host its first production in Bengaluru, this weekend.
Last week, a teaser of the play caught our eyes on Instagram, which was basically a reel made in the trending Wes Anderson style template. The quirky promo was only a glimpse of the avant-garde narrative style the play attempts to employ.
Better described as a contemporary vaudeville show with hints of burlesque comedy, No Strings Attached is an amalgamation of three different stories. The play opens with the story of an aged couple who are constantly bickering but deep down, have immense love for each other. The second story is about the relationship between a princess and her British bodyguard.
The last story is a dystopian look at artificial intelligence. It explores the relationship between two artificially intelligent robots, imagining what humanity might look like in the future as AI becomes more all-consuming in the present. What connects these stories is the disconnect between the characters. The society we are living in today has so much disconnection between people.
I think we are losing the ability to just be humane. But more than the stories, the way in which they are narrated seems most experimental. But I must say that the show is predominantly comedy. Throughout the play, we also have conversations with the audience, breaking down the fourth wall. Instead, it has got a lot of movements and choreography. From flamenco and kathak to mime and robot — Archana Kumar has blended distinct dance forms in this show as the choreographer.
