Writer and Director: Ankur Sengupta
Ankur Sengupta has written and stars in this hour long comedy drama held in the small 45 seat theatre above the Oxford Pub in Camden having previously shown in Cardiff.
The glue that holds this narrative together is that his girlfriend is on her way home and he is going to have to break the news to her that he has run over and killed her cat. From the outset we get to hear that the character Sengupta has created is a somewhat arrogant one with controversial thoughts especially when it comes to feminism and woke culture. The character he has made is not afraid to express his views on modern feminism. He flies very close to the line with his views on a range of topics around sexual politics, gender, sexuality and trans issues.
The character rambles through somewhat randomly, always circling back to the immediate problem at hand but it feels somewhat with confusion of purpose. Sengupta manages to hold the audience for the hour, looking in turn at each in the eyes and uses no gimmicks or props; just an hour of monologue and he manages to keep the sparse audience’s attention, showing us that he is a good actor, but it is difficult to understand what the point of the monologue is or who is aimed at. However, there are certainly very funny and wry views on life that make the audience laugh out loud.
Sengupta is good at telling the story and comes across as amiable which makes it easier when he crosses and blurs the lines of acceptability. However the audience often feels uncomfortable, especially when he starts taking his clothes off, thankfully stopping just short of actually showing his penis.
The end of the performance tries to give an intimate and sensitive exploration and some insight into this flawed character, reflecting on trauma in his early life as some sort of explanation for his problematic stances. This final scene is well-acted and emotional but it really does not feel sufficient for us to feel sympathy or even empathy for the character nor reason or explanation for this railing against modern feminism. People only want an apology if it is genuine.
Runs until 12 June 2022
