Pulitzer winning play starring Lillete Dubey staged at Tagore Theatre

The three-hour play takes the audience through the sufferings the family members go through in losing their father and also the internal battles they have been fighting as part of this family.

“The theme is dark,but its infused with humour that’s remarkable,even in the most serious of situations,Lett has the ability to make you smile,which is certainly one of the highlights of the powerful script,’’ Dubey adds.

Well-known Indian theatre and film actors have major roles in the play,with Sandhya Mridul,Kitu Gidwani,Mita Vashisht,Suchitra Pillai and Amar Talwar playing different characters.

“The play explores the universal themes of family,mother-daughter relationships and sibling and spouse conflicts. My character,the youngest daughter Ivy,is a 42-year-old married librarian who has no voice of her own. She has always stayed in the shadows of others and is an introvert which is the complete opposite of me,” says Suchitra Pillai. Kitu Gidwani says that each character has been etched out beautifully,and with every show,she has seen new shades of the character she is playing. For Mita Vashisht,the play gives her a chance to play a new role,different from the serious,strong characters she plays.

Dubey is in complete control as the character Violet which she is playing. “Tracy has almost written a Greek tragedy-like play and the character of Violet has its own charm. She,despite being a drug-addict and a vicious woman,has brain a wicked sense of humour,with great impact on other characters. The way she speaks and the impact she has on the other characters in the story is marvelous,” says Dubey,who adds that each character builds the play little by little.

Dubey said she has done 40 shows of the play and looks forward to many more.