Yoga Play | La Boite Theatre
“I hope that while you sit in the dark watching this world unfold you feel welcomed into the paradoxes the play and these artists evoke, within the safety of the chalk circle of the theatre. And that you laugh!” - Dipika Guha/Playwright
Image credit: Stephen Henry
As we approach the end of the 2024 theatre season here in Meeanjin, it is uplifting to look back at what this year has had to offer. Notably, works by international playwrights have been just one of the many highlights of this exciting season. La Boite Theatre is no exception as its 2024 season comes to a stimulating close with Yoga Play by LA based, Calcutta - born playwright Dipika Guha who was raised in Russia, India and the United Kingdom.
Constant rain, cooler than usual temperatures and all round inclement weather made for the ideal ingredients for a night out set within the cosiness of La Boite’s theatre in the round.
Yoga apparel giant Jojomon has a new CEO. Joan (Andrea Moor) has been hired to stabilise this athleisure wear (the seamless blending of functionality and fashion and not to be confused with activewear) company. But after certain sensitive material is publicly released, her colleagues Fred (Jemwell Danao) and Raj (Nat Jobe) are tasked with supporting their CEO’’s grand solution to quell the problem ie. to champion Jojomon’s authenticity.
Image credit: Stephen Henry
Help is sought from LA’s premiere wellness expert. Romola (Camila Ponte Alvarez) - Indian name, Kamala - offers aerial yoga, Pilates yoga, weight-training yoga and everything yoga related except to provide the solution that will help resolve Jojomon’s dilemma. However, the matter is eventually resolved when John (Thomas Larkin) comes to the ‘rescue’ - to divulge how this comes about, would definitely be spoiling the fun, fun, fun! With an enterprising plot that unfolds across an uproarious 140 minutes, the 20 minute interval intensifies the suspense for the second half where all is revealed.
Clad in her ‘power suit’, an emboldened Moor is accomplished in her authoritative role as the newly elected CEO of Jojomon. Intent on pleasing their superior and carrying out her bidding effectively, the hilarious antics of Danao and Jobe is an absolute hoot. Alvarez’s multiple stage personas are impressive as she switches seamlessly between accents (Indian, American) and characters (Lucy/Lauren/Nooyi/Mrs Kapoor).
Stand out moments of Yoga Play - Larkin’s in character portrayal of John/Alan/Mr Kapoor (accents on point) and Jobe’s expert ‘solution based’ impersonation (costume on point) both of which had this writer in uncontrollable fits of giggles.
Encompassing superb characterisation and under the compelling direction of internationally renowned director, Mina Morita, Guha’s witty, humorous, entertaining, amusing dialogue is delivered with razor-sharp precision by this talented cast.
The contemporary set design by James Lew doubled up as an office as well as a yoga studio complete with Zen infused furniture - cue swiss balls and very low pillows which are the bane of the CEO’s back problems! Lew’s creative backdrop was cleverly crafted so that multimedia designer Mark Bolotin could utilise this for projections depicting moving clouds that allude to a feeling of calm while an oval shaped screen sat front and centre which was used for the obligatory, often uproarious video conferencing sessions. Kate Baldwin’s intimate lighting in conjunction with Wil Hughes soundscape which comprised of a series of rhythmic chants, substantially elevated the overall ambience.
Image credit: Stephen Henry
Dialect coach, Linda Nicholls-Gidley, no doubt was in her creative element as the cast effortlessly moved between accents - Indian, American, Singaporean. Shondelle Pratt’s (intimacy director) scenes depicting yoga poses bordering on sensuousness had the audience in uninterrupted fits of laughter. Under the guidance of cultural safety consultant, Katrina Graham, the playwright’s satirisation of racial stereotyping, cultural appropriation, exploitation, consumerism and fat shaming is handled with much aplomb.
In this world of consumerism gone mad, Yoga Play highlights the (laugh out loud) paradox of the practice of yoga between the West (California) and the East (India) using satire to bridge the gap between ludicrous and rational.
Moreover, Yoga Play is a very human and engaging production that despite its thought-provoking themes, still had the entire theatre reverberating with laughter throughout the unfolding of this modern masterpiece.
Kudos to La Boite Theatre for ending their 2024 season on such a high.
