Chasing Hares is balanced story that will transport you into the fairytale-like world of Bengali tales and culture. Whilst also shining a light upon the harsh reality of cut-throat capitalism, exploitation, and the need to fight for equal rights.
Sonali Bhattacharyya’s new play takes us places – both far away and nearby. Chasing Hares explores the story of Amba (Saroja-Lily Ratnavel), a mother making a living delivering food for a large corporation. Her spirit to change the way she and her colleagues are unfairly treated by their employer opens up another story. Amba’s father, Prab (Irfan Shamji), a factory worker in 2000’s Calcutta, is struggling to make ends meet as his workplace, a local textile factory is in a lockdown, and nobody is getting paid. Due to an unexpected set of circumstances, Prab receives the opportunity to take on a managerial position in the factory – and uncovers practices that workplace owners have hidden from the outside world.
The audience receives an introduction to the concept of Jatra, a form of folk theatre popular in Bengali – this becomes a recurring theme in the show. Jatra is performed outdoors, in the round, and usually showcases the Hindu epics like Mahabharata. In Chasing Hares, Jatra becomes a web connecting all of the play’s elements. It’s a way to remember how things were, but also a way to create hope and courage for the future.
The play’s script provides a flawless story balance. There’s witty humour and sarcastic comments during the Jatra rehearsals, the energetic language of the dispute between Prab and his wife, all crowned with thoughts on a deep, complex topic of child labour just a couple of seconds later.
Bhattacharyya paints a tough choice: would you choose your own well-being or the welfare of the community? Would you stay where you are or take a risk to help future generations, even if it means paying the ultimate price?
The story, especially in the first Act, progresses slowly, until one specific moment. There is one second in which most of the audience gasps for air, and you could have heard a pin drop. It was not because it’s scary, but because the play built the tension so delicately that nobody knew what was coming. That’s when the story started to move faster, and the emotional baggage became heavier and heavier until the end of Act 2.
The play is performed by a small cast of 5. The standout for me was Scott Karim, who performed as Devesh, the picture-perfect villain. The son of a factory owner who is a “typical capitalist” that has to be in the spotlight, both on stage and in life. It’s almost too easy to dislike him, as he is such an obvious “baddie.” A bit of a back story or a moment showcasing his human feelings would add a new layer to this otherwise exceptionally well portrayed but one-dimensional character. Karim had the audience in the palm of his hand during his first scene on the stage. He created so much energy I felt as though I was in a rock concert.
Prab (Irfan Shamji) and his wife Kajol (Zainab Hasan) are presented to us in a much more romantic manner. They are simple people who have come from nothing and have an undemanding wish to provide a promising future for their daughter. Genuine sparks start to fly once Prab meets Chellam (Ayesha Dharker) – the two actors show real chemistry on stage whilst in a creative flow together.
The show is tastefully accompanied by traditional Indian drums, mostly playing between scenes and never disrupting the dialogues. The set design by Moi Tran compliments the story, as it has two sides. An “ordinary” set with some chairs, a ceiling fan, and walls, and the colourful world which uses video design by Akhila Krishnan projected onto the walls whenever we venture into the world of Bengali tales and Prab’s stories. Much is left to the audience’s imagination, which works incredibly well in this play.
Chasing Hares is described by Bhattacharyya as a “love letter to organisers, activists, and dreamers.” But it’s something much more – it’s also a wakeup call for the audience. It’s a reminder not only of the problems faced globally but also the labour issues many face in the UK today. It is an empowering folk tale that will leave you wishing to explore Bengali culture more. Chasing Hares is a brilliant piece of theatre that’s very much needed in 2022.
{🎟 AD – PR invite – Tickets were gifted in exchange for an honest review}
2 Star Review 3 Star Review 4 Star Review 5 Star Review 2022 2023 Adaptation Almeida Cabaret Camden Fringe Cast Announcement Christmas Comedy Dance Drag Edinburgh Fringe Edinburgh Fringe Interviews Fringe Immersive Interviews Jukebox Musical LGBTQIA+ Lyric Hammersmith Manchester Musical New Musical News New Wimbledon Theatre North West Off West End Park Theatre Play Review Revival Richmond Theatre Round Up Royal Court Theatre Shakespeare Show Announcement Show Recommendations Soho Theatre Southwark Playhouse Touring Production VAULT Festival West End
- A PISSEDMAS CAROL – REVIEW – LEICESTER SQUARE
The infamous Sh!t Faced Showtime are back in London with a festive edition, they have taken Dickens’ classic and put a drunken spin on it. The formula is the same as other iterations of the Shi!t Faced shows, one member of the cast has been boozing, and this time it is John Milton who plays Scrooge. Before the show, half a bottle of Jim Beam, some wine, and beer have been consumed in the previous 4 hours. The rest of the cast, try to keep the show on track, also aided by James Murfitt as the compere, Charles Dickens. The … More A PISSEDMAS CAROL – REVIEW – LEICESTER SQUARE - A CHRISTMAS CAROL – REVIEW – ALEXANDRA PALACE
Spine-tingling yet heart-warming, Mark Gatiss’s retelling of A Christmas Carol truly encapsulates the haunting atmosphere of a Victorian ghost story, balanced out with enough humour so as to capture the festive season. Led by Keith Allen as Scrooge, with Peter Forbes as Marley, this show is perfect for Christmas viewing. The set design by Paul Wills is instantly captivating, containing stacks of metal cabinets towering over the theatre, moveable by the cast to allow space for other central props like doors, beds and tables. In addition to this, the puppetry design by Matthew Forbes is incredibly clever, adding creepy elements to the show such … More A CHRISTMAS CAROL – REVIEW – ALEXANDRA PALACE - A WOMAN WALKS INTO A BANK – REVIEW – THEATRE503
The title of this winner of Theatre 503’s 2023 International Playwriting Award by Roxy Cook may seem like the set-up to a joke, but the narrative that unspools is instead an affectionate, gently barbed and at base quite sobering portrait of three ordinary souls (and one restless feline) adrift in modern Moscow. There is much affable, satirical back-and-forth commentary on the accepted myths & stereotypes of the Russian spirit & soul. Beset by the indignities of age, opportunism, graft, fatigue, the characters orbit one another, doomed to play out their roles in an unjust, predatory and saturnine universe. The play opens … More A WOMAN WALKS INTO A BANK – REVIEW – THEATRE503 - PETER PAN GOES WRONG – REVIEW – LYRIC THEATRE
Peter Pan Goes Wrong first premiered in London at the Pleasance Theatre in 2013, and earlier this year the show made its Broadway debut. Now the production is back in the West End for the Christmas season. Following on from The Play That Goes Wrong, in this production, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is staged by the fictitious Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society and goes awry, disastrously so. The meta-comedy is filled with slapstick comedy, sometimes the humour may be predictable and silly, but it’s universally funny throughout – there is something for everyone here, and the laughs come thick and fast … More PETER PAN GOES WRONG – REVIEW – LYRIC THEATRE - GHOST STORIES BY CANDLELIGHT – REVIEW – SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE
Drawing heavily from the classic canon of the British supernatural, HighTide’s trio of contemporary Gothic narratives uses traditional storytelling formats to address contemporary themes. Directed by Elayce Ismail, reverent musical interludes accompany tales of apparitions and nighttime conjurings that speak of women from the East of England. Unfortunately, the effect is less chilling and more lightweight, with conventional structures, predictable plot twists and an over-reliance on external forces to drive narrative shoring up some of the less relatable aspects of the genre. Nicola Werenowska’s The Beach House, perhaps the cleanest of the three tales, tells of a mother and daughter’s … More GHOST STORIES BY CANDLELIGHT – REVIEW – SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE
- A PISSEDMAS CAROL – REVIEW – LEICESTER SQUAREThe infamous Sh!t Faced Showtime are back in London with a festive edition, they have taken Dickens’ classic and put a drunken spin on it. The formula is the same as other iterations of the Shi!t Faced shows, one member of the cast has been boozing, and this time it is John Milton who plays … More A PISSEDMAS CAROL – REVIEW – LEICESTER SQUARE
- A CHRISTMAS CAROL – REVIEW – ALEXANDRA PALACESpine-tingling yet heart-warming, Mark Gatiss’s retelling of A Christmas Carol truly encapsulates the haunting atmosphere of a Victorian ghost story, balanced out with enough humour so as to capture the festive season. Led by Keith Allen as Scrooge, with Peter Forbes as Marley, this show is perfect for Christmas viewing. The set design by Paul Wills is instantly captivating, … More A CHRISTMAS CAROL – REVIEW – ALEXANDRA PALACE
- A WOMAN WALKS INTO A BANK – REVIEW – THEATRE503The title of this winner of Theatre 503’s 2023 International Playwriting Award by Roxy Cook may seem like the set-up to a joke, but the narrative that unspools is instead an affectionate, gently barbed and at base quite sobering portrait of three ordinary souls (and one restless feline) adrift in modern Moscow. There is much … More A WOMAN WALKS INTO A BANK – REVIEW – THEATRE503
- PETER PAN GOES WRONG – REVIEW – LYRIC THEATREPeter Pan Goes Wrong first premiered in London at the Pleasance Theatre in 2013, and earlier this year the show made its Broadway debut. Now the production is back in the West End for the Christmas season. Following on from The Play That Goes Wrong, in this production, J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan is staged by … More PETER PAN GOES WRONG – REVIEW – LYRIC THEATRE
- GHOST STORIES BY CANDLELIGHT – REVIEW – SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSEDrawing heavily from the classic canon of the British supernatural, HighTide’s trio of contemporary Gothic narratives uses traditional storytelling formats to address contemporary themes. Directed by Elayce Ismail, reverent musical interludes accompany tales of apparitions and nighttime conjurings that speak of women from the East of England. Unfortunately, the effect is less chilling and more … More GHOST STORIES BY CANDLELIGHT – REVIEW – SAM WANAMAKER PLAYHOUSE