Latest from Noises Off
This is a smart, dynamic and charming piece of theatre written by Niranjan Pedanekar. In it, Ritika Shrotri plays numerous characters successfully, she seems cautious, detailed and yet naturally vivid in her performance. Both words and acting, come together bringing to life this play about empathy and beauty, with the strong support of a brilliant design, direction (credited to Sanket Parkhe) and camera filming (by Sanket Parkhe and Aditya Yadav).
The team masters the use of space. It feels like they have squeezed the most out of the possibilities of the photography room where this performance was filmed. They use different perspectives to support the characters’ portrayals, filming Ritika from the top to make her look smaller, or from the bottom to make her look bigger.
The Light Catcher tells the story of an Indian photographer who captures the light (and shadows) of the space with her camera. Ritika slides from the character of this woman into those of her photographed subjects; from the role of an Indian child to a North Korean lady, going via an Indian man. All the while Niranjan Pedanekar takes the chance to offer the audience an insight into Indian culture. Most of the play is in Hindi, and most of the action takes place in India, although as our protagonist travels the World she also offers us a brief look through her lens into Venezuelan and North Korean spheres.
We can see a several stories within this story as we approach different characters in different situations. And we just enjoy the act of observing. As the photographer would do. Because this is what this performance is about: finding the beauty. In simple things. In people’s lives. In traditions. In beliefs. It is about style and how we look at things. At people. At stories.
The Light Catcher is a reminder that beauty lies everywhere.
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