Review: East West's FREE OUTGOING Effectively Posits A Subject Matter No Parent Ever Wants to Face

FREE OUTGOING/by Anupama Chandrasekhar/directed by Snehal Desai/David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts/thru March 12, 2017

East West Players' new Artistic Director Snehal Desai ambitiously tackles the US premiere of playwright Anupama Chandrasekhar's FREE OUTGOING as his directorial debut. FREE OUTGOING centers on a single mother and her two teenagers living in a very conservative Chennai, India. Strong performances from the talented cast of five vividly illustrate the consequences of a video of the 15-year-old daughter engaged in a sex act going viral.

Anna Khaja totally embodies the cause-and-effect of all this conflict, in a totally committed, unapologetic, no-holds-barred, unsympathetic portrayal of the mother Malini. Khaja's mother Malini's reminiscent of the unloving, unmovable mother Beth in the 1980 film Ordinary People. But Malini's not unloving to or unmoved by her daughter Deepa. Despite the leper/outcast situation Deepa has placed her family in, Malini pounces to deny the allegations that Deepa had any sexual relations. Then, viewing the video evidence of Deepa's sexual exploits, Malini makes excuses for her daughter's actions while dumbfoundingly blindsided by Deepa's budding sexual activities. No, Malini's only unloving to and unmoved by her son Sharan.

Kapil Talwalkar presents a fully-rounded performance as Sharan, the innocent bystander to his sister's misdeeds, who has to suffer guilt by association. The charismatic Talwalkar charms as a studious, ambitious teenager who readily speaks his mind. At times, defensive of his little sister; then totally cursing her for the possible life sentence of public shaming. Talwalkar consistently grabs focus as the most sympathetic character in the room. (BTW, the character of Deepa's only talked of, never seen onstage.)

Anil Kumar easily convinces as the submissive Ramesh, a customer of Malini's silver polish kits, and one of the few people she can call a friend (or, at least, an acquaintance). Kumar's Ramesh obviously wants more than friendship from Malini - which Malini uses to her advantage. Only when his pride gets hurt, does Ramesh reject Malini's over-expectant requests.

Dileep Rao's a perfect jumbo of nerves as Santhosh, the father of Deepa's sexual partner/videographer Jeevan. All at once, apologetic, confused, angry; Rao's Santhosh attempts to talk sense and reason to the defiant Malini who refuses to have Deepa take any blame for this broadcasted tryst.

Kavi Ladnier persuasively plays three roles distinctly different from each other. First, as Nirmala (Deepa and Sharan's high school principal) breaking the news to Malini of her daughter's misstep. Then as Kokila, Malini's neighbor and only friend of their 60-family complex. (Ladnier's Kokila gets to say the most telling and best line of the play, "You backed the wrong horse.") Lastly, Ladnier's most contemporary attired as Usha, the TV reporter getting the exclusive interview with Malini.

Scenic designer Stephanie Kerley Schwartz, together with prop master Glen Michael Baker, create a very detailed living room with colorful touches of India culture hanging from the walls and adorning the couch and shelves. Not sure of the purpose of telephone poles and connecting wires hovering above the apartment set. Katelan Braymer's lighting flashed inexplicable for the scene changes masking Malina's endless costume changes.

Much food for thought in this clash of Eastern traditional values and the more modern thinking of the West.

www.eastwestplayers.org

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