English dystopian thriller ‘Edgar and Annabel’ comes to Chennai

British playwright Sam Holcroft’s Edgar and Annabel, a dystopian story of dissenters fighting against the establishment, comes to Chennai, directed by Sunandha Raghunathan

A group of friends gathers for karaoke night — the familiar tunes of ‘Just a small town girl’ fill the air, as the friends sing aloud; Just another fun soirée. Their faces, however, tell a different story.

They seem preoccupied, almost disturbed. Is someone listening in? On the far end of the room, are stocked canisters of chemicals, tangled wires and medical gloves; a spread that screams hazard. Everything seems alright, but is clearly not.

This evident dichotomy that runs through most of the narrative, is what characterises  Edgar and Annabel.

Written by the British playwright Sam Holcroft, the play is a dystopian fable of freedom fighters or political dissenters who are being subjected to constant surveillance by the Orwellian establishment they are fighting against. Under the captainship of Guduguduppukari’s Sunandha Raghunathan,  Edgar and Annabel opens in Chennai this weekend. It is presented by Chennai Art Theatre and Guduguduppukari.

This writer was a fly on the wall at their first run — tight, with some commendable performances. After the rehearsal, Sunandha along with a few of the cast members sits down to discuss the choice of this play.

“It made my heart race,” says Sunandha. After discussions with Nithin Ram, who essays the role of Edgar/Nick, they started work in October. “My first impression was that it is going to be an incredibly challenging acting exercise,” says Nithin.

Annabel is played by National Award-winner Lakshmipriyaa Chandramouli, who is part of an impressive cast that includes Venkataraghavan Subha Srinivasan, Namita Krishnamurthy, Yashwant Sathu, Dharshan and Sneha.